-<>- The American Geologist. October. 1 m u 
first somewhal intimidated, bui the little country has done its best. It 
lias laid inure than usual stress upon the excursions, and it hopes that 
the- warmth of the reception may make amends for what may seem 
lacking, since the first congress at Paris in 1878, many eminent geolo- 
gists like Sterry Hunt. Sella. Newberry, and recently, <;. H. Williams. 
have died. The primary object of the congress was uniformity, hut it 
was pushed too tar. and the result was a protest on the part of its Anglo- 
Saxon members, and the reaction in turn has gone too far. and thrown 
the oj, position entirely over the saddle. We should seek to unify the 
language and t he methods of the science only, and thus we shall not do 
injury to the science. By teaching a rational and not a traditional ge- 
ology, we shall by degrees attain the end sought. 
The president then introduced M. Schenck, the member of the federal 
council, who addressed a welcome to the congress in a most extraordi- 
narily theatrical manner. Learning thai this session of the congress 
was to be held here, the federal council determined that it was an inter- 
national duly to entertain their guests. Everything possible has been 
done to make the members of the congress feel at home. He greeted 
the members in the name of the Bundesrath. Their Labors were not 
confined to cabinets and laboratories, but extended over a space as wide 
as the world. While this little country cannol offer the wonderful ob- 
jectsof the United States. \et for a small land there was much to inter- 
est geologists. There is a little salt, a little iron ore: but no quick— nor 
commercial— silver is found here. | Laughter. ] The land is geologically 
rich, but in a mining sense poor. You are not here to look at the outside 
but the inside of the land. Allow me to say that of all human industries 
and occupations geology is the noblest. What the earth has to do in 
space geology teaches, and how in the changes of ages it came to occupy 
its present form and situation. From its teachings we learn the infinite 
smallness of man. Wonderful is the work which geology has performed, 
but there is many a riddle yet unsolved. Nothing can so tend to solve 
these as a meeting of so many ablemen. May the sixth session of the 
congress do much toward this end. and may Switzerland be remembered 
as the place of its labors. [Applause. | 
President Renevier then reported the decision of the council in regard 
to language, as follows: 
1. La langue officielle esl le francais. — Toiites les affaires administra- 
tives se ferout en francais. Dans lecasouun expose ne pourra el re fait 
en francais. il en sera donne* une traduction. 
2. Les communications scienl ifiques dans les assemblies generates, el 
dans les sections, pourront etres fades en francais el en allemand. Sf 
d'autres langues interviennent. il sera donne, de ces communical ions, un 
petit resume francais comme traduction. 
The president then introduced Prof. Suess. who addressed the con- 
gress on "conformation of surface by horizontal forces." The speaker 
said that it hail been many years since he had addressed a public as- 
sembly in Zurich on this subject, which had been one claiming his at 
teution for many years. A brief digest of the substance of this paper 
