bay, &c: it blossoms in July and August, the whole plant is yellowish, size about one foot.

18. Panicum uniflorum. Chaff smooth, leaves ovate lanceolate pubescent, striated above, pale underneath, neck bearded, sheaths striated pilose: a single terminal flower pedunculated upright, valves smooth, obtuse. Obs. Found in woods near Flatbush, Long-Island. Annual. Size half a foot. 19. Polygonum arenarium. Smooth, stem upright round flexuose striated branched, branches slender erect; leaves linear oblong acute serrulate, sheaths red brown lacerated; flowers axillar solitary nearly sessile erect; seeds trigone. Obs. It grows on the downs and the sandy shores of Long-Island, Sandy Hook, &c: next to P. tenue of Michaux, yet very different. It belongs to the real genus Polygonum, having the perigone five parted, a little unequal, two divisions inside, eight stamens, three styles, &c. Annual, Size about a foot, flowers small, greenish, blossoming in July and August; a rare species.

20. Scutellaria nemorosa. Pubescent, stem and branches straight, leaves on short petiols ovate rhomboidal nearly acute, serrate crenate, ciliolate, base entire acute; racemes nearly distichal, bracteas ovate entire.-Obs. A fine rare plant growing in woods near Flatbush Long-Island. Stem from one to two feet high, square, leaves large and nerved, flowers blue, large, blossoming in June and July, calix entire, with a long appendage, seeds black and granulated. Perennial.

14. FIRST DECADE of new North-American Fishes.

1. Sp. Anguilla chrisypa. Jaws obtuse, the lower rather longer, head depressed; body acute posteriorly olivaceous brown as well as the head and fins, except the sides of the head the breast and anal fins which are of a gilt yellow, lateral line beginning before the gill, and a little ascending, pectoral fins oboval, dorsal fin beginning near the anal fin, tail very obtuse.-Obs. Vulgar names GoldEel, Silver-Eel, Lake-Eel. Gold breast, &c Found in lakes George, Champlain, &c. the Hudson above the falls; length from two to five feet, very good food; it has tubular nostrils and very small eyes the head is attenuated, and one seventh of total length.

2. Sp. Anguilla blephura. Jaws very obtuse, the lower longer, no lateral line. body obtuse posteriorly, tail obtuse and ciliated, pectoral fins oval, dorsal fin beginning halfway between them and the anal fio, general colour, olivaceous above, and whitish beneath. Obs. A common species on the south shores of Long-Island, therefore maritime, affording indifferent food; vulgar name Sand-Eel, length about two feet, head one seventh of total length, eyes rather large, nostrils not tubular. The specific name means ciliated tail. These two species of Eels appear different from all the new species lately described by Mr. Lesueur, under the old

name of Murena, which belongs properly to a very different genus without pectoral fins.

3. Sp. Salmo Pallidus. Lower jaw much longer, body cylindrical gray crowded with irregular rounded pale yellowish spots, gills silvery, lateral line ascending at the base, tail forked brownish, dorsal fin brown with twelve rays, adipose fin olivaceous, lower fins white, the anal with twelve rays.-Obs. vulgar names Salmon-trout, White-trout, Lake-trout, &c. Length from two to four feet, it affords a delicious food, the flesh is redish. In Lake George, Lake Champlain, and other lakes: it does not ascend the brooks.

4. Sp. Bodianus rupestris. Lower jaw much longer, gill-covers with two flat and short thorns, head and fins gilt, body giltbrown, with many parallel rows of black spots under the lateral line, which follows the curve of the back, and is a little ascending at the base, tail entire, dorsal fin with twenty rays whereof ten are spinescent.Obs Its vulgar name is Rock bass, and in Canada Crapet. It is found in all the lakes of New-York, Vermont, Canada, &c, affordding a good food. Shape elliptic thick, teeth small, eyes and scales large, length about one foot, anal fin with fourteen rays, whereof six are spinescent, thoracic fins with one and five rays, pectoral fins with fourteen rays, caudal fin with twenty. It is a permanent fish living generally in rocky bottoms.

5. Sp. Bodianus Achigan. Lower jaw much longer, gill-covers with two flat and short thorns, lateral line nearly straight, base ascending diagonal; blackish with round scattered fulvous spots, belly gray, fins brown, the dorsal depressed in the middle and with twenty-five rays, whereof ten are spinescent, tail lunulated, with a gray edge.-Obs. vulgar names in the United States Black-bass, Lake-bass, Big-bass, Oswego bass, Spottedbass, &c. and in Canada Achigan or Achigan verd or Achigan noir; but many species are probably blended under those names; this is probably the Achigan of Charlevoix. It is a fine fish, from one to three feet long, and weighing sometimes eight to twelve pounds, affording a good food, &c. It is found in all the large lakes of New-York and Canada. It has many rows of small teeth, and is voracious: eyes blue, iris gilt brown; anal fin with fifteen rays, whereof three are spinescent and short, pectoral fins fulvous dotted of brown at the base, and with fifteen rays, thoracic firs with six rays whereof the first is spinescent, caudal fins with twenty rays. This species and the foregoing have six branchial rays, and the gill-covers are composed of four pieces, all sealy except the second. Body more cylindrical than in the foregoing.

6. Sp. Cyprinus bullaris. Body rather cylindrical, silvery, back olivaceous brown, scales large, lower lip shorter, iris and gill cover gilt, lateral line ascending at the base, tail forked, fin yellowish dorsal fin central, with nine rays as well as the anal.-Obs. In the Fishkill and other streams falling in the Hudson, vulgar name Wind-fish, because it

laid on the table by Doctor John W. Francis, Librarian, together with several volumes presented to the Society, which were ordered to be inscribed and recorded, with the names of the liberal doners, in the book of donations.

The library of the Society is increasing very rapidly in number and value, and contains, in all probability, a larger collection of books, pamphlets, &c. on the subject of American History, than is to be found in any other public collection in the U. States. No expense is spared to procure from Europe the earliest editions of voyages, travels, histories, and documents which concern this country; and most of the publications in the U. States are to be found in its archives.

A portrait of the Hon. Gouverneur Morris, late president of the Society, taken by Ames of Albany, was presented by the Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer of that city.

A portrait of the Hon. John Jay, taken by Wright, in 1786, was presented by the Recording Secretary.

The skin of a young Anaconda, from Demarara, was presented by Doctor Lyman Spalding in the name of his friend Mr. Henry P. Fleishman.

Valuable specimens of Mineralogy were presented by professor Cleveland, of Massachusetts, by John H. Steele, Esq. of Saratoga, and by Jesse Booth, Esq. of Walkill, Orange County, together with an Indian Ax of secondary Trap, and a singular mass of limestone inclosing wood and sand stone.

teresting paper was accompanied with numerous specimens illustrative of the arts and antiquities of the people who inhabited that district of country in former times. We insert the concluding paragraph of this paper, hoping that the Society will shortly favour us with the whole in their second volume of transactions, now arranging for publication.

The Iroquois formerly lived, according to their tradition, on the north side of the lakes: when they migrated to their present country, they extirpated the people who occupied it: and after the European settlement of America, the confederates destroyed the Eries, who lived on the south side of lake Erie. Whether the nation which possessed our western country before the Iroquois had erected those fortifications to protect them against their invaders, or whether they were made by anterior inhabitants, are mysteries which cannot be penetrated by human sagacity. Nor can we pretend to decide whether the Eries, or their predecessors, raised the works of defence in their territory. But we are persuaded that enough has been said to demonstrate the existence of a vast population settled in towns, defended by forts, cultivating agriculture, and more advanced in civilization than the nations which have inhabited the same countries since the European discovery."

CIETY OF NEW-YORK..

Sitting of Nov. 13, 1817. A communication from Dr. Mitchill was read, stating that he had received from Professor Blumenbach, of Gottengen, several tracts and volumes as a donation to the Library.

The recording Secretary read a letter addressed to Dr. Francis, from D. B. Warden, Esq. of Paris, acknowledging the honour he had received in being chosen a foreign associate of the Society. Several valuable donations were also acknowledged from Dr. Warden, through the hands of Dr. Francis.

the State of New-York.

The President also communicated a paper describing certain wrought stones found two feet under ground in the town of Deerfield, in the county of Oneida. These stones seem to have been used as personal ornaments by a race of people, who, at a remote period, inhabited this place, as no unwrought stones of that kind have been discovered in Oneida county, and the Iroquois do not decorate themselves in that manner, nor were they at any known period possessed of similar ornaments.

grape: 6. V. montana, mountain grape : 7. V. membranacea, thin leaf grape: 8. V. rugosa, rough grape: 9. V. denticulata, field grape: 10. V. mucronata, blue grape. Whereupon the several papers were referred to the council.

Mr. C. A. Busby, architect and engi, neer, recently elected a member of this Society, produced a model and description of a water-wheel invented by himself, since his arrival in this country, of a very useful and ingenious construction, applicable to steam-boats, horse-boats, and mills.

LYCEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

Sitting of October 20, 1817.

Mr. Rafinesque made a Report on three reptiles referred to him at the last meeting, two of which he described as new, under the names of Testudo Hemitropus a tortoise from Honduras, and Prodiplus Fuscatus, a brown adder from Chatham, New-York.

Dr. Mitchill read a letter from Dr. Whelpley of Morristown, New-Jersey, on the case of a child who had voided from the intestines several crustaceous animals of the order of Myriapoda; accompanied by specimens, which were referred to a select committee.

Alderman Akerly presented specimens of Mytilus and the Lepas Anatitera, taken from the bottom of a vessel, and stated that he had observed on the same vessel Cancer Linearis and Doris Papillosa, not before known to inhabit our waters,

Mr. Clark presented the foetus of a Porpoise from the E. Indies.

Dr. J. B. Stevenson offered several specimens of Slate and Sandstone, with a view of illustrating the peculiar geological features of the mountainous range, known by the name of the Pallisadoes, on the opposite or western shore of the Hudson.

Mr. Torrey presented to the Society four cases, containing several hundred species of Insects, chiefly American, and in a high state of preservation.

November S.

Mr. Jesse Booth, of Ulster Co. N. Y. presented, through Mr. Torrey, specimens of Breccia with shells, and of Ma

Mr. Torrey reported that the Terra Columbiana, resembling the T. Sienna of Europe, presented at the last sitting by Mr. Clements, proved to be an analysis on argillaceous earth, with a considerable portion of oxyde of iron, constitut og what is usually denominated an Ochre.

Mr. Torrey reported on the specimens from Patterson, N. Jersey, presented by Dr. Townsend. The one supposed by some to have been Chalcedony, he had ascertained to be Prehnite. This loca, lity is not noticed in the late work of Cleaveland.

The President presented two bottles of mineral waters from springs in Tioga Co. N. Y.; also several remarkable fossil madrepores, and tubipores, from the same County.

Mr. Clements read a highly interesting and important paper on the Estrus ovis of Lin. describing it in its various states, accompanied by specimens in all its forms, and exhibiting a recent head of the sheep, showing the effects produced by its attacks on the frontal and maxillary sinuses, &c.

Mr. Rafaesque read a memoir on the Xanthium maculatum, a N. Sp.

The President, Dr. Miteniil, offered a specimen of the common Sepia of our coast, accompanied by a demonstration of its character,

A

ENGLAND.

NEW dramatic poem, from Mr. Coleridge, under the ti tleof Zapolya,

is announced as in the press, and soon to appear.

Sir GEORGE CAYLEY has proposed a