Royal Geological Society of Cornwall. 375 



Surely it will not be considered presumptuous in the county of 

 Cornwall to congratulate herself on the distinguished honour of hav- 

 ing given two successive Presidents to the Royal Society, and the 

 more so in the present instance, because of the persuasion that the 

 additional duties which will consequently devolve on our President, 

 will not, in the smallest degree, diminish his attachment, his zeal, or 

 his exertions, in favour of this Society. 



Soon after the last annual meeting of the Society, its third volume 

 of Transactions was published : and it is hoped that the communica- 

 tions which have been thus sent into the world, have added some inter- 

 esting facts to the general stock of geological information j and it 

 may be presumed that the interests of Science are far better served 

 by the promulgation of one well attested fact, than by the most labo- 

 rious exposition of theories.— It should be the continued endeavour 

 of this Society, to place on record as many facts as possible which 

 bear upon the geology of Cornwall, notwithstanding any previous 

 communications which may have been made on the same subjects 5 for 

 differences in points apparently minute, and such as may be consi- 

 dered at first extremely trivial, may yet have an important bearing, 

 either on the immediate subjects of inquiry, or on others connected 

 with them. 



On the stream-works, and the other alluvial deposits of Cornwall, 

 our information is still extremely defective. One communication only 

 has been made on this subject during the past year. It would be very 

 desirable to obtain a particular description of every stream-work of 

 any note in this county. By comparing these with each other, it 

 would not be difficult to separate those circumstances which are of 

 almost universal occurrence, from those which are partial, and which 

 may, in a certain sense, be called accidental. — The Council beg par- 

 ticularly to recommend this subject to the attention of those members 

 of the Society who reside in the vicinity of those deposits. 



The Council have also to report to the Society, that in pursuance 

 of the recommendation of the last annual meeting, some measures 

 were taken with a view of obtaining lithographic copies of the diffe- 

 rent portions of the map of Cornwall, for the purpose of making 

 another effort to complete the long promised geological map of this 

 county 5 but they found that the expense would be too great for the 

 funds of the Society. A zealous member of the Society, George 

 S. Borlase, Esq. has, however, taken the trouble to divide the county 

 into districts, which he has mapped on a large scale. The maps of 

 the different divisions are now ready to be delivered to any gentlemen 

 who will undertake to mark on them the boundaries of the different 

 rocks at the surface, and also the direction of the principal metallife- 

 rous and cross veins, elvan-courses, &c. as far as it can be ascertained. 

 The known talents and information of the principal agents of the 

 different mines will be particularly serviceable in the accomplish- 

 ment of this object. It would also be highly desirable, and of consi- 

 derable importance to the Society, if those gentlemen who may un- 

 dertake to assist in forming the geological map, would collect speci- 

 mens 



