Geography in the United States. — Daz'is. 157 
the Association there was no fixed division into sections. The 
meetings were sometimes so small that papers from various 
sciences were presented in general session. At least once in 
the early years, the work of our predecessors was recorded 
under the general heading, "Natural History, etc." As early 
as in 1 85 1 there was a section of geology and physical geo- 
graphy, and another of ethnology and geography, but that 
classification did not endure. Once only, in 1853. did geo- 
graphy stand by itself as a sectional heading, but at many meet- 
ings, physics of the globe and meterology had places to them- 
selves. Through the '6o's and '70's geography was sometimes 
coupled with geology, but the latter more often stood alone or 
with palentology, and it was not until the Alontreal meeting of 
1882 that Section E was definitely organized with the title that 
it now bears. 
In those years when physics of the globe and meterology 
were given sectional rank, problems concerning the ocean and 
the atmosphere received a good share of attention. It is curi- 
ous to note, in contrast to this, how little consideration has been 
given to the exploration and description of the lands ; that is, 
to the geography of the lands, in this Association for the Ad- 
vancement of Science, either before or after the establishment 
of the double name for our section. The exploration of foreign 
lands, for many years a prominent subject in the meetings of 
the British Association where geography has had a section to 
itself since 1869, has attracted hardly any notice in our gather- 
ings ; perhaps because we have been busy exploring our own 
domain. At the first meeting, 1848, a summary of then recent 
explorations, prepared by Alexander, is the only paper of its 
kind. Other papers treating of the geography of foreign lands 
are so few in number that most of them may be noted here ; 
in 1850, Squier gave an evening address on the \'olcanoes of 
Central America; in 1858 and i860, Hayes and Wheildon dis- 
cussed Arctic Exploration ; Orton described the \'alley of the 
Amazon in 1869; in 1884 and 1898, two English visitors had 
papers on diflferent parts of Asia; in 1891 and 1898, Crawford 
described features of Nicaragua, and in 1894 and 1895, Hub- 
bard read papers on China, Corea, and Japan. Even geological 
essays on foreign regions have been few ; Dana. Branner, Hill, 
Spencer, Heilprin and Hitchcock being the chief contributors. 
