50 International Congress of Geologists. — Frazer. 
fluence more or less the classification of the whole world. As 
it is a fact that the primordial fauna was first discovered in 
North America by Prof. Ebenezer Emmons prior to its discov- 
ery by Barrande in Europe, it is just, according to the laws of 
priority, to concede to America a part of this classification. 
Furthermore, considered as a paleontological question, the 
Cambrian of Sedgwick comprises the second fauna which was 
discovered by this geologist before Murchison extended his in- 
vestigations to the region which contained it. Therefore, 
Sedgwick recognized that this fauna was entirely independent 
of the system of beds Avhich included the Tertiary fauna, or the 
Silurian, properly so-called. 
It was remarkable that although many geologists from 
North America were present at the Congress, and among them 
many who were members of the sub-committee of the lower 
Paleozoic, not one presented himself to sustain these views ; 
on the contrary Mr. Gilbert, of Washington, declared himself 
indifferent to the choice of names, but insisted that before 
adopting any system the strata from hitherto unexplored parts 
of the globe should be examined. 
Prof. Otto Torrell declared himself an adherent of the 
Murchisonian nomenclature. He would propose, in opposition 
to the preceding speakers, that the term Cambrian be applied 
to the first fauna of Barrande, the lower fossiliferous beds of 
Olenellus, and that a special name be given to those lower 
clastic beds in which up to the present no fossils had been 
discovered. He" rejected the term Ordovician, preferring to 
designate as lower and upper Silurian the beds above the Cam- 
brian. 
Dr. Barrois called attention to the inconvenience of employ- 
ing words not univocal for these divisions. The univocal terms 
were evidently preferable and had been recommended by the 
Bologna Congress and in the report of the secretary on nomen- 
clature. 
The Director general of the geological survey of the United 
Kingdom declared himself an ardent supporter of the classifi- 
cation of Murchison and thought "Ordovician" unnecessary. 
Prof. Hull, Director of the geological survey of Ireland, 
espoused the same cause. Mr. Walcott illustrated the strati- 
graphic succession of the primordial faunas in America. The 
Cambrian (considering as such the lower system of fossilifer- 
