Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Volume 1848) (Paperback)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1849. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... accretion of stalactites which depend everywhere from the roof, and clothe the walls in rocky drapery. In the cave in question, vast sheets of stalactite are seen stretching from the roof to the floor. These thin parallel plates have the same direction with the divisional planes of the overhanging beds of limestone. Profs. R. traced their formation to the production, in the first place, of a line of stalactites, along the seam or division in the roof. By farther accretion from the water trickling over their surfaces, these would be made to coalesce, and thus the shape of the whole would at length become that of a sheet, or thin mass gradually extending to the floor. After the conclusion of this paper, the Association adjourned till Monday morning next at 9 o'clock. WALTER R. JOHNSON, Sec'ry. Monday Morning, September 25, 9 o'clock. The Association met agreeably to adjournment, Wm. C. Redfield, Esq., President, in the chair. The first business in order was a report of business by the Standing Commmitte, who, through their chairman, proposed: -- 1st. That Asa Whitney, Esq., be admitted to membership in the Association, which was adopted. 2d. That Lieut. M. F. Maury be added to the Committee on the Sediment of the Mississippi river, which was likewise adopted. 3d. That an abstract of each communication submitted to the Association during its sitting, be furnished, by its author, for pubj lication in the proceedings. Adopted. 4th. That a committee of ten be appointed to memorialize the President of the United States, the Heads of Department, and Congress, upon the promotion of science, by adding to each public expedition which may be organized, a number of scientific men, whose observations may tend to this end. On this last proposition, remarks were made by Dr. Hare, ...