164 T I l€ Amenc an Geologist. September, 189» 
of the Geological Survey of Canada from its beginning to that 
date, contained a chapter on surface: geology, written, by 
Robert Bell, which attributed the drift phenomena to ice and 
fully accepted the glaciaU theory, even recognizing inoraines 
in the Ottawa, valley. . • •, -. 
( . Acceptance. — f-It will be seen that the acceptance, in Amer- 
ica^ of. the glacial theory was Iby slow degrees. It involved th€ 
displacement -of. .preconceived.. deductive hypotheses, and was 
opposed, by the modified and. noi unreasonable theory of sub- 
mergence and floating ice, held by ; Murchison and Lyell, 
which still has ' some qualified .support. During the decade 
froint'i'Sso to i860; there, was comparatively less discussion 
of: the'drift [proiblcm: . Geologists were readjusting their ideas 
and taking new beairings.i Then- followed the years of the 
War of the Rebellion^ -^wheu: the thought of Americans was 
tiirned away^ from , abstract 'science "and even the meetings of 
this Society were suspended. However, in 1862, the glacial 
theory received two 'notable reinforceniefits. One was, in 
England!, its jDuhlio adoption by: Ramsay and his abandon- 
ment of the iceberg theory; the other, in America, the publi- 
cation of the first edition, of Dana's" Manual of Geology. Iri 
this : epoch-making book in geological science the whole prob-^ 
lem of the drift was: clearly presented. The arguments for and 
against both the iceberg and glacial theories were stated with 
a logical conclusion in favor of the latter, allowiiig the work 
of icebergs along the- continental borders 'and across deep 
channels.' An- unbiased reader could judge for himself of the 
merits of the two theories but scarcely fail to accept the con- 
clusion of the -author. ' The glacial epoch as a division of Post- 
Tertiary time 'was given its place in the geological time series ; 
and the- various elements of the glaciaF problem were placed 
before student; arid worker so as to be available as a basis for 
investigation. The foundation was laid for the construction of 
glacialgeology, but the time was not propitious for its com- 
pletion. 
Following the close "of the war, interest was renewed in 
glaciology," and two papers by Charles Whittelsey, in 1866 
and 1867, are worthy of note. . lai the latter year a. masterly 
paper by Edward Hungerford, before this Association dis- 
cussed the physical conditions and climate of the glacial per- 
