13n Ilie Ailiei'(C(lll Gi-nhx/isf. Fcl)ni;irv, l^'.ta 
If 1 may be permitted to refer to such a subject, it l)eh(toves Mr. 
Hill to devote himself more closely to the observation of geological 
details in the field before trying to estal)lisli even much of tliat which 
he ha^ already i)ublished. 
That the name Fredericksburg was lirst given by ])r. lioemer to 
the r.)cks now bearing it, is not only true but is well known by Mr. 
Hill, as may be seen by reference to the following of his ])ublications: 
Bull. Xo. 45 U. S^. Geol. Survey, p. 12, and Am. .lour. Sci., April, 1887, p. 
298. Dr. Roemer in "Kreidehildungen von Texas," as cited in above 
Bulletin, refers to the "Fredericksburg strata" and gives a list of fos- 
sils many of which are characteristic of tlie Fredericksburg division 
as arranged when named by Mr. Hill. 
It may be noted that throughout my report little reference was 
made to tlie works of geologists in the American Cretaceous, even 
such valuable works as those of Dr. C A. White and others, but it 
must be borne in mind that my paper is simply a report on the strati- 
graphy of a fragment of a formation covering a limited area in the 
midst of an extensive held. No claim was made to extensive re- 
searches in the paleontology of the field — indeed anything like a 
connected and systematic study had never l)een made of the fossils 
as a whole. Most of the leading forms, however, were known and 
they were sufficient for stratigraphic correlation. .1. A. T.\i-f. 
PERSONAL AXD SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
(Ieoi.ogical SociKTV (IK AMERICA. — The fifth annual meeting 
of the (leological Society of America was held in Ottawa, Can- 
ada, on December 28th, 2!)th and ;50tli. where convenient rooms 
in the l>eautiful Parliament buildings had lieen secured by the local 
committee. Thirty fellows in all were present. 
The society was called to order at ten (j'clock on Wednesday 
morning, by the president, Mr. G. K. Gilbert, after which his 
excellency, lord Stanley, governor-general of Canada, welcomed 
the visitors in a neat speech, in which he stated that though po- 
litically the United States and Canada might be divided, yet in 
scientific work the two peoples were in perfect accord. Qe wel- 
comed tliem. as the representative of the queen in Canada, and 
also as a citizen of Ottawa, l^resident (Till>ert acknowledged the 
welcome in a few words. 
Mr. Fairchild, the secretary, tlii-n presented the annual report 
of the council, which stated that two meetings of the society had 
been held during the past year, one at Columbus, Ohio, w^ith an 
attendance of twenty-three fellows, and the other at Rochester, 
along with the American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 
ence, when there was an attendance of thirty fellows. The}' had 
