54 International Congress of Geologists. — Frazer. 
the geologists from Austro-Hungary, who hoped that the suc- 
ceeding session — that of 1894 — would be held in Vienna. 
On the motion of Prof. Capellini the Council decided that a 
committee consisting of Frazer, Gilbert, Marsh, Newberry, Ster- 
ry Hunt and Walcott should constitute a provisional commit- 
tee, with the addition of the names of Profs. James Hall and 
J. D, Dana, which committee should select the city where the 
re-union should take place and name the organizing commit- 
tee. By unanimous vote the city of Philadelphia was selected. 
This unanimous vote received by the Council was presented 
by the President to the Congress at its session of the 21st 
September, and approved by acclamation ; as likewise was the 
proposition by the President to send a telegram of thanks to 
the mayor of Philadelphia. 
One of the motives for selecting this city as the seat of the 
future Congress was that the university of Pennsylvania has 
resolved to celebrate in 1891 its centenary, on which occasion 
it will draw thither savants from all parts of the world. An- 
other reason is that there will be at that time a re-union of 
the International Medical Congress in Washington, and many 
of the distinguished foreign members of the latter will be in- 
vited to participate in the ceremonies of the University, which 
is one of the five oldest in America and the second in point of 
equipment in halls, laboratories, and other adjuncts of a great 
centre of higher instruction. Three millions of dollars addi- 
tional will be invested in furtherance of its aims. The Pro- 
vost of the University authorizes Prof. Frazer to offer all the 
necessary facilities to the Congress for its meeting in the halls of 
the University. But the principal reason which decided the 
choice of Philadelphia before the other cities of the Union was, 
that the idea of assembling an international Geological Con- 
gress took shape in 1876 during the celebration of the centen- 
ary of the independence of the United States by the Interna- 
tional Exposition at Philadelphia. The 'comite fondateur' of 
the Congress was appointed by the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science at its meeting in Buffalo during 
the before-mentioned year, andreceived the official name which 
the American Committee (its direct continuation) has retain- 
ed at all subsequent Congresses, of "Comite fondateur de Phil- 
adelphia." The invitation was signed by the mayor of the city ; 
the president or chief officer of all the principal institutions of 
