Junes, 1857.] SPRATT'S REMARKS ON SERPENT ISLAND. 483 



Mr. Charles Bracebridge, f.r.g.s., begged to make one observation. It 

 was that the late Dr. Arnold, upon receiving from him a Map of the Morea, 

 drawn np after the survey of the French, made the very natural, but perhaps 

 not known, observation that, until this map came into his hands, he did not 

 understand the wars of Greece. It was well known that Dr. Arnold was for 

 many years occupied in writing comments on the history of Greece, and such 

 was his appreciation of that beautiful survey, which had made us acquainted 

 with the ravines, the heights of mountains, the ancient causeways, the tracks 

 of commerce, and the topography of different localities. He believed that some 

 of these spots — the plains of Argos, for instance— no scholar could comprehend, 

 unless he saw the beautifully illustrated map made in that survey of the 

 Morea. 



The President said, as reference had been made to Colonel Leake, he begged 

 to state that the communications of General Jochmus had been submitted to 

 that accomplished scholar, who had strongly recommended their publication. 



The second Paper read was — 



2. Remarks on Serpent Island. By Capt. Th. Spratt, r.n., c.b. 

 [This Paper has been directed to be published in the Journal.] 



The President observed that the distinguished nautical surveyor, Captain 

 Spratt, whose papers on different parts of the adjacent coasts had been read at 

 various times to the Society, had given a very clear account of this singular 

 island. As a geologist he might say that, if the structure of rocks was to 

 be the ground for the construction of empires. Serpent Island being of the 

 same composition as the adjacent provinces, the question recently agitated 

 might at once have been decided. 



Mr. W. J. Hamilton, f.r.g.s., as an old friend of Captain Spratt, and 

 having given him his first lesson in geology in the neighbourhood of Smyrna, 

 took great interest in anything Captain Spratt said 'upon the subject. The 

 various papers, he had read before the Geological Society, were quite enough to 

 show that he had made very rapid progress in that science. With regard to the 

 observation made by the President, if the question of political configuration 

 was to be decided by geological constitution, he believed this island would bo 

 found to form a sort of connection between Bulgaria and the Crimea. 



The third Paper read was — • 



3. On the Hydrography of the Valley of the Arve. By Professor Paul 

 Chaix, of Geneva, Corresponding f.r.g.s. 



Addressed to the Secretary. 



[This Paper has been directed to be published in the Journal.] 



The President said that Professor Chaix's communication was one of value, 

 more particularly with reference to the changes in physical geography pro- 

 duced by modern causes ; and also to geologists, in forming their calculations 

 as to what must have passed in vast periods of time. 



