Feb., 1890. 
CON GRES GEOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONAL. 
87 
“ Ordovician.” Professor Gosselet, of Lille, accepted the corre¬ 
spondence of the three English terms to the three faunas 
of Barrande; but rejected the terms “ protozoic ” and 
“ deutozoic ” on account of the enormous development of the 
Devonian strata in the Ardennes, and in this view he was 
supported by Professor Dewalque, of Liege. Mr. Walcott, of 
Washington, gave the American divisions; and Colonel 
Delgado, of Lisbon, those of Portugal. Mr. Walcott, who is 
the Palaeontologist of the U. S. Survey, made a most 
important admission which brings the American classification 
of the Cambrian rocks into full accord with that of Sweden 
and of Europe. The Olenellus fauna is Lower Cambrian; 
the Paradoxides, Middle Cambrian ; and the Olenus, Upper 
Cambrian (see Nature, for October 4tli, p. 551). Professor 
J. F. Blake maintained the existence of a fourth fauna 
(Olenellus) and wished to introduce his term “ Monian ” 
for a new system of rocks in Anglesey and Ireland. Pro¬ 
fessor de Lapparent, of Paris, maintained that before 
deciding anything, the base of the Cambrian ought to be 
definitely settled, and advocated its extension to the limit 
of the crystalline schists. In this he was practically sup¬ 
ported by Professor Barrois, of Lille. Professor Gilbert, of 
Washington, advocated delay because questions of limits are 
local; the whole world is not yet explored, and the future may 
modify our ideas. Mr. Marr, of Cambridge, in the absence 
of Professor Hughes, rejected stratigraphical limits in favour of 
palaeontological, recognised the universality of the three faunas, 
and proposed to group the three stages under the name Barran- 
dien. The Chairman (Signor Capellini) concluded that the 
threefold division clearly had most acceptance in the meeting ; 
but in default of general assent, he judged it best to suspend 
the vote. 
From this discussion it is perfectly clear not only that the 
three grand divisions are universal, but also that for English 
geology the term “Ordovician” will replace “ Lower Silu¬ 
rian,” and that the English speaking peoples will adopt it. 
Those who pin their faith to Murchison forget the equally 
valuable work of Sedgwick and his term “ Upper Cambrian.” 
Whether the foreign geologists will adopt the British name 
remains to been seen. MM. de Lapparent and Barrois seemed 
in favour of two divisions, each subdivided into two—“ Silu¬ 
rian ” in two divisions, upper and lower; and “ Cambrian ” in 
two divisions, upper and lower, the latter consisting of the 
underlying azoic crystalline schists. This, as a pure matter of 
classification, might be simpler. But for my part I believe 
that Ordovician will ultimately be universally adopted ; and I 
