Correspondence. -Ill 
Pellati; Japan, Kochibe: Mexico, Aguilera: Holland, Martin; Portugal, 
Mendes Guerreiro: Ron.mania, Stefanescu; Rusaia, Inostrantzew, Nik- 
itin, Stuckenberg. Seilerbolm, Lagorio. Fr. Schmidt; Sweden,'Niith.oi-st. 
ToreW: Norway, Brogger. Reusch; Servkt, Zujovic; Switzerland, Heim. 
Secretaries. 
Loewinson-Lessing (Russia), Boule (France), Belinfante (Great Britain), 
Lugeon (Switzerland), J. Walther (Germany), Meli (Italy), de Margerie 
(France). 
Upon organization it was decided that French shall be the official 
language of the Congress for business, the discussions which could not 
be made in French should be translated. Scientific communications 
may be made in French or German without being translated. The vol- 
umes of the Congress will be published generally in French, but the 
scientific works in the language of the manuscript. It was decided that 
the members of the Congress taking part in the discussions should de- 
posit with the secretary immediately after the session a copy of their re- 
marks. 
Wednesday, Aug. 20, was selected as the date of the council session 
at which the choice of the next place of meeting of the Congress should 
be decided. It was decided to divide the time of the Congress as fol 
lows: Monday — General Geology. Wednesday — Petrography, Miner- 
alogy and Applied Geology. Friday — Stratigraphy and Paleontology. 
Saturday — Stratigraphy and Paleontology. 
At 1:30 p. m. the session of the Congress was foimally opened in the 
grand hall of the zoological museum of the Academy of Sciences by his 
Imperial Highness, the grand duke Constantine Constantinovitch, the 
honorary president, and by her Imperial Highness, the princess of 01 
denbourg, president of the Imperial Society of Mineralogy. 
The honorary president read a telegram from the grand duke Alex- 
ander Mikhailovitch. The Minister of Agriculture and Domain then 
read an address of welcome. M. le senator Prof. Capellini then replied 
-as the oldest ex-president. M. Renevier, last president, then put the 
names of the bureau, proposed by the council, to vote, and the Congress 
elected them. He then turned over the presidency to M. Karpinsky. 
M. Karpinsky then read his address and was followed by M. Tscher- 
nischew in a detailed report of the labors of the committee on organiza- 
tion. 
Monday, Aug. 18 (30), 1897, the general session of the Congress was 
opened at 3:30 p. m.. in the grand hall, and M. v. Richthofen, who pre- 
sided, announced the very sad and sudden death of Dr. Spendiarow, 
who had taken part in the Ural excursion and was universally popular. 
M. Meunier exhibited an apparatus whereby the great lines and, to 
some extent, the details, of the organic structure of Europe could be 
reproduced by allowing a rubber hemisphere covered by a thick coat of 
plaster to contract. M. Sacco read an essay on the "Origin of the 
Earth." M. Prinz read a communication on the experimental repro- 
duction of the great terrestrial reliefs. A communication of M. Mars- 
»Jon Mansdon on the "Evolution of Climates," was presented by the 
