Personal and Scientijic yeica. 348 
meeting on. September 28rd, and effected an ()rganizati(jn. 
Gov. G. W. Atkinson, who is reported as being very enthusias- 
tic in regard to the survey, was elected president of the board 
and the following otHcers of the survey were aj^pointed: su- 
perintendent, Dr. I. C. White, one of the editors of tliis jour- 
nal ; tirst assistant geologist and curator of the collections, 
Mr. S. B. Brown, professor of geology in the State University ; 
superintendent of the biological division, Mr. J. S. Stewart, 
director of the West Virginia Agricultural Station; executive 
ofticer. Dr. J. H. Raymond, president of the State University. 
The headquarters of the survey are at Morgantown at the 
State University. One of tlie first pieces of work to be under- 
taken is the preparation, by Prof. S. B. Brown, of a list and 
synopsis of all publications relating to the geology and biolo- 
gy of West Virginia. 
The Geological Society of America will hold its tenth 
annual winter meeting at McGill University, in the city of 
Montreal, on December 29, 30, and 31, 1897. 
University of Minnesota. Prof. C. W. Hall, who holds the 
chair of geology and mineralogy, has been granted leave of ab- 
sence for the present academic year. The department is left 
in charge of Dr. C. P. Berkey who has been for several years 
instructor in mineralogy; the work in general geology is con- 
ducted by Dr. U. S. Grant and that in paleontology by Dr. F. 
W. Sardeson. 
Dr. Hans Reusch, director of the geological survej'^ of Nor- 
way, has secured leave of absence from his home duties to ac-* 
cept an appointment for 1897-98 to the Sturgis-Hooper pro- 
fessorship of geology. Harvard University, left vacant since 
the death of professor J. D. Whitney, a year ago. He will 
lecture on vulcanism during the first half year, treating vol- 
canoes and eruptive rocks in general;* earthquakes and the 
movements of the earth's crust. In the second half-year, he 
will lecture on the geology of northern Europe, and its rela- 
tion to general geology. The third hour of each week will be 
given to seminary work with advanced students. In the spring, 
professor Reusch proposes to take part in instruction in the 
field. 
Messrs. Schdchert and White, of the United States Na- 
tional Museum, returned from the late Peary expedition to 
Greenland after visiting most of the known plant-bearing lo- 
calities of the Cretaceous and Miocene. They spent 28 days 
in Greenland and in that interval also made a whale-boat jour- 
ney of 150 miles in order to reach the various important plant 
localities. 
These plants are chiefly interesting from the fact that al- 
though above the Artie circle they are of a semi-tropical na- 
