Correspondence. 261 
Th« secretaries and treasurer having been chosen without opposition. 
the council proceeded to the order of the day. 
Two former presidents, Capellini and Beyrich, being present, the 
(piestion which should open the session was postponed till the following 
day. 
The president then brought up the (piestion of what language should 
be employed, and based upon the action of the last council of the congress 
in Washington the proposal that (ierman should be admitted equally with 
French as the language of the congress. M. Renevier, as presiding officer, 
distinguished himself in the discussion by continually misstating the 
proposition which was submitted to vole, and finally declaring adopted 
what he pleased, not at all what wasdecided. Thus the final form of the 
proposition was that in all official statements or discussions of routine 
work French should be used, or a French translation of what was said 
shall be ottered, but that (ierman should be admitted for scientific ex- 
positions. 
The following sections were then created and their officers elected by 
the council: 
Section I. Giophysique, Geotektonique, Oeologie g&nirale. President. 
A. de Lapparent, France; vice president, T. McK. Hughes, England. 
Section II. StraMgraphie et PaUontohgie. President. Albert Gau- 
dry, France: vice president, K. A. von Zittel, Germany. 
Section III. Petrographie et Miner alogie. President. Michel-Levy, 
France: vice president, P. Groth, Germany. 
Section IV. Geologie ((pi>li</u< : <. President. Hauchecorne, Germany; 
vice president, Posepny, Austro-Hungarj*. 
Wednesday, Aug. 89, 1894. 
The first general session of the congress was held in the aula of the 
magnificent ecole scolaire for females. H is in the upper story, a very 
fine room, showing the rafters, and having decorations of fruits run- 
ning along the ridge and extending in two arms to reach it from each 
gable end of the building. Behind the desk of the chairman, where it 
was of light wood and covered with gray, coarse drapery, is a large map 
of the region on a scale of 1:25,000, to illustrate the paper of Prof. Ileim 
later. A fine longitudinal section of the Zurich lake bed on a scale of 1: 
125,000 lineal and 1:2"), 000 vertical is displayed on the east wall, while 
on the west (the rigid of tin' presiding officer's desk ) is a section across 
Zurich lake on a scale of 1:2.000 linear and 1:1,000 altitude. At the 
hour of opening, 2 p. m.. there were about loo persons present. 
Capellini, taking (he chair, reported the presidents, vice presidents, 
and secretaries of l he congress, and the presidents and vice presidents 
of the sections. M. Capellini then yields the chair to Renevier, the 
president, who makes an address in which he savs he is penetrated l>\ 
I wo I hough Is, I he one of gral i tilde for I he honor colder red on him. and 
i he ot her of his insufficiency. He is sure he owes this honor to his reg- 
ular attendance at the meetings of the congress. He was verj much 
astonished when the cable informed him. three years ago, thai Switzer- 
land had been chosen as the site of the ne\i congress, and hi' was al 
