378 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. YI., No. 143. 



points having been left for future adjustment. 

 They concerned, for the most part, definitions of 

 terms, such as 'group,' which it was determined 

 should be applied to the divisions of the highest 

 order (secondary group, etc.); the next division 

 should be ' systems ' (Devonian system, etc.) ; the 

 third should be 'series' (coal-measures series of the 

 carboniferous system) ; the fourth division should 

 be 'stages' (etages) (millstone grit, etc.) ; the divis- 

 ion of the fifth order was decided upon (for 

 French only) as ' assise ' or ' couches ; ' ' zone ' 

 should be used for a number of beds having one 

 or more fossils to characterize them, but it should 

 be inferior to ' stage ' as a term of classification. 

 'Bank' was selected to imply a bed (couche or 

 assise) thicker or more coherent than those in its 

 vicinity, among which it is intercalated. These, 

 and certain conclusions as to the apphcation of 

 the terminations 'ary', 'ic', and 'ian,' — the first 

 for the groups, the second for the series, and the 

 third for the stages, — completed the linguistic por- 

 tion of the report. No termination for systems 

 was proposed. 



It was decided to give to the pre-paleeozoic rocks 

 the name 'archgean' instead of 'primitive,' and, 

 while recognizing three divisions of them, to allow 

 each geologist to distinguish these by petrograpliic 

 characters. 



On the motion of Prof. Archibald Geikie, the 

 elecision as to the hmits of the Silurian and Cam- 

 brian is left till the meeting of the congi-ess in 

 London in 1888, but the committee on the chart 

 has liberty to divide the lower system of the ]Dal8e- 

 ozoic group into tln-ee parts, of which the names 

 shall be determined upon later. 



After a long and exciting discussion, the prop- 

 ositions were accepted : (a) that the Devonian should 

 be divided mto three parts, corresponding respec- 

 tively with those termed the Rhenan, the Eifehan, 

 and the Famennian ; (5) that the calceola beds 

 should form part of the Eif elian ; (c) " that the 

 upper limit of the Devonian should be drawn at 

 the base of the carboniferous limestone, that is to 

 say, the system which includes the Psammites of 

 Coudroz, and the upper Old Red." [The words 

 "the lower carboniferous (Kilborkan, Marwood, 

 Pilton)," and " or the calciferous sandstone Dura, 

 Den," were stricken out of the committee's resolu- 

 tion, at the request of Prof. A. Geikie, as not 

 representing the real association of these beds.] 

 The whole paragraph (c) was afterward suppressed. 



The question of associating the Permian with 

 the carboniferous provoked the most interesting 

 discussion of the congress. Stur of Vienna, 

 Lapparent, Blanford, and Prof. Newberry, spoke 

 in favor of such union. Hughes, Topley, Nikitin, 

 and a great many others spoke against it. Prof. 



Newberry, in the course of his remarks, said that 

 "his honored colleague. Prof. Hall, .was of the 

 opinion that the Permian did not exist in America, 

 and that his own studies confirmed this view." 



M. Neumayr thought " the decision of such 

 questions as this should not depend upon a ma- 

 jority vote which would change in each country, 

 and after each eloquent speaker " (referring to Mr. 

 Lapparent's brilliant defence of the committee's 

 proposition). This view was finally taken, and the 

 congress adopted, with about fifteen dissenting 

 votes, the following proposition formulated by Mr. 

 Dewalque : — 



' ' The congress, not wishing to pronounce an 

 opinion on the scientific question, will leave the 

 classification as it is." 



After much debate, the threefold division of the 

 triassic was agreed to, but without assigning any 

 names. The division of the system into three 

 was adopted, but without specifying the names of 

 the divisions. It was agreed that each geologist 

 might draw the upper horizon of the lias where 

 he thought best. It was agreed that the ' Gault ' 

 should be joined to the cretaceous. The diver- 

 gence of views on this subject was so great that 

 M. CapeUini, then in the chair, cut short the whole 

 question by asking for a vote of confidence in the 

 conmiittee, which was unanimously given. 



Finally the sevenfold division of the eruptive 

 rocks in as many tints of red was carried without 

 oi)position. 



This completed the serious geological work of 

 the congress, and it was then agreed to meet in 

 London in 1888. A committee, consisting of 

 Hughes, Geikie, Blanford, and Topley, was ap- 

 pointed to make the necessary arrangements, and 

 the congress adjourned. 



During the course of the congress, addresses 

 were given by Messrs. Gaudry on certain reptiles ; 

 Newberry, on a new large Devonian fish from 

 America ; Posepny, on the fiuid condition of the 

 earth's interior; Ochsenius (in German), on the 

 origin of salt deposits ; Neumayr, on the plan for 

 the 'Nomenclator palseontologicus ' which he is 

 compfiing (and which the congress voted to pub- 

 lish under its auspices, and through the agency of 

 a special committee consisting of MM. Gaudry, 

 Zittel, and Neumayr, and one other whose name 

 escaped the writer). M. Nikitin presented his map 

 of middle and south-eastern Russia, including the 

 valley of the Volga ; M. Vasseur exhibited 13 sheets 

 of the map of France ; and Dr. Frazer (on behalf of 

 Mr. McGee) presented an explanation of the methods 

 employed by the director of the U. S. geological 

 survey. 



The delegation which represented the United 

 States at the congress consisted of Prof. James 



