Corresjyondoice. 417 
memorial medal for the year 1897 to the president of the Congress, M. 
A. P. Karpinsky. 
Mr. President and Oentlemen, the members of the Geological Congress : 
I am charged with a mission which is outside of the duties of a mem 
ber of this Congress; but notwithstanding, it is in some sort interna- 
tional and allied to the object which assembled us here. 
In honor of the memory of the late Dr. F. V. Hayden, his widow 
founded the Hayden memorial medal of which the object is each year 
to crown the works of him who has done the most for geology. The 
Academy of Natural Sciences, being the first born of similar institu- 
tions on the American continent, was naturally designated to choose 
the recipients. Ordinarily the choice is made in the fall, but in conse- 
quence of the session of the geological congress, it awarded the medal 
earlier. Since the foundation of this roll of honor in 1889 till the pres- 
ent time seven savants of almost as many nationalities have been chosen: 
of whom we have the pleasure to see among us James Hall, dean of the 
American geologists, senator Capellini, and Pj'of. von Zittel (Prof. 
Stiess being unfortunately detained in Vienna): while all science mourns 
the loss of Huxley, of Daubree and of Cope. 
All these gentlemen, the dead as well as the living, have given to the 
decoration as much honor as they have received from it by adorning it 
with the lustre of their names. The Academy of Natural Sciences 
after the examination of all the candidacies by a special committee, 
adopted unanimously the name proposed and delegated me to oflfer the 
material emblem to its laureate. It is therefore as a delegate of the 
Academy of Natural Sciences which is, in its turn, the representative 
of the geologists of America, that I have the honor and pleasure of pre- 
senting the Hayden medal for 1897 to M. Alexander Petrovitch Kar- 
pinsky in recognition of the great services which he has rendered to 
geology, as well by his special works as by his wise administration of 
the geological survey of the largest empire of the world, an administra- 
tion which cannot but greatly influence the studies in all countries. 
(Applause.) 
The mission with which I am charged might properly confine itself to 
what I have just said, but it is impossible for me mjt to allude to the 
splendid conception and perfect execution of all that concerns the Vllth 
international geological congress, which eclipses not only all its prede- 
cessors, but all that has ever been attempted elsewhere for science. 
The unheard of liberality of the august sovereign of all the Russias to 
this Congress gave the measure of the confidence which his majesty ac- 
cords to M. Kary)insky and to his colleagues; while the strong support 
that these latter gave to the director is proof of the cordial understand 
ing among the Russian geologists. Without this confidence and with- 
out this support the result obtained would have been impossible. 
In the name of the Acadeniy of Sciences, of American geologists, and 
I dare say of all the members of this Congress, I wish M. Karpinsky a 
happy life and one sufficiently long to enjoy all the marks of esteem 
that he deserves and will deserve in the future. (Hearty and long con 
tinued applause. ) 
