236 The American Geologist. April, i89o 
appointed by the Academy of Natural Sciences to recommend 
the award of the Hayden memorial medal for the most impor- 
tant contribution to the science of geology, has the honor to 
report to the Academy that it has selected Prof. James Hall, 
the state geologist of New York for the honor of receiving the 
first award of this medal. In making the selection the com- 
mittee feels confident that it will have the endorsement of 
every geologist both here and abroad, but it deems it due to 
the eminent character of the recipient of this medal, and of 
the work which he has done for fifty-eight years and is still 
doing for science that these services should be here formally 
acknowledged. 
Prof. Hall was born at Hingham, Mass., on Sept. 12th, 1811, 
and is therefore now in his 79th year. He commenced his 
scientific life in 1832 when, after graduation at the Van 
Rensselaer Polytechnic School, he immediately assumed the 
duties of a professor there. His dedication to the special 
branch of research to which he has made so many and impor- 
tant contributions, began in 1836 when he was appointed pro- 
fessor of geology at this institution and the same year one of 
the assistant geologists on the then just instituted geological 
survey of New York, In 1837 he was made state geologist in 
charge of the "fourth division" of the state. His final report 
of this district was made in 1843, and thence with the title of 
state geologist he was placed in charge of the paleontological 
work. From then till 1879 five volumes of the paleontology 
of the measures from the Potsdam sandstone to the base of 
the Coal Measures have been issued. He has prepared a com- 
plete revision of the paleozoic brachiopoda of North America 
which is now in press and which has necessarily required 
researches as far west as the Rocky mountains. 
He was also state geologist of Iowa in 1855. In 1867 he was 
elected state geologist of Wisconsin. He has besides prepared 
monographs on the graptolites of the Quebec group (1865); 
two volumes of the geology and paleontology of Iowa (1858-9) ; 
the chapters on geography, geology and paleontology of Wis- 
consin in 1862 ; Fremont's exploring expedition, Appendix A, 
(1845) ; Expedition to the Great Salt lake (1852) ; U. S. and 
Mexican boundary survey (1857) ; U. S. geological exploration 
of the 40th parallel, vol. iv. He has published volumes of 
reports of progress ever since 1866 when on the reorganization 
of the N. Y. State Museum he was appointed director as well 
as state geologist. Notable among these are Vol. vi, on the 
Corals and Bryozoa from the Lower and Upper Helderberg, 
and Hamilton — Vol. vii containing descriptions of the trilo- 
bites and other Crustacea of the Oriskany, Upper Helderberg, 
Hamilton, Portage, Chemung and Catskill, (in fact, eleven 
volumes in all). He received the grand cross of the order of 
St. Maurice and St. Lazarus from the king of Italy in 1882, 
