Notices and Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 203 



prepare a prospectus and report on the best mode of proceeding to the 

 attainment of a map of the coal district, to be submitted to the society. 



A paper by Henry Witham, Esq. V. P. was read, describing the recently 

 discovered Craigleith fossil tree. (The portion of this tree already dug 

 out, is now deposited in the Museum of this University.) 



A paper by P. J. Selby, Esq. on the birds of Northumberland, was 

 presented to the society, and ordered to be printed in the next Part of the 

 Transactions. 



FOREIGN. 



[Want of room having for some time interrupted the continuation of our 

 Foreign Reports, we are now considerably in arrear. But we shall bring up 

 oiu" Notices to the present time, by taking each Society separately, and 

 extracting such parts of the proceedings as are of general interest, till 

 we again attain the regular system.] 



Geographical Society of Paris. — February 19, 1830. M. Barbie du 

 Bocage presented, in the name of M. Rousseau, Consul- General of France, 

 at Tripoli, an Arabic manuscript, containing the history of that city, and 

 bearing date, 1244 of the Hegira. M. Sueur Merlin read a notice of a new 

 map of Italy, in 84 sheets, about to be published by M. Litta Biumi. 



March 6. The Society adjudged a gold medal of 500 francs to the travels 

 of M. Caillie in Central Africa ; but, at the same time, it was thought just 

 and proper to pay a well-merited tribute to the memory of the coiu-ageous 

 and unfortunate Major Laing, who had preceded M. Caillie at Timbuctoo. 

 A similar medal was consequently voted to be presented to his widow. 



March 19. Professor Rafn, of Copenhagen, communicated the prospectus 

 of a prize proposed by the Society of Danish Literature, for an exposition 

 of the ideas which the Scandinavians held respecting the universe, from the 

 most remote times, to the end of the thirteenth century. 



March 26. The medal awarded to M. Caillie was presented. 



April 2. M. Jomard communicated, in the name of M. Morin, a memoir 

 on the barometrical elevations of the mountains of the Black Forest, extracted 

 from the Hertha. Colonel Bonne annoimced to the Society the early 

 departure of M. Michaud, and the geographical engineers attached to his 

 scientific mission in the east, and requested that instructions might be 

 addressed to them respecting Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Arabia 

 Petrea, which they proposed to visit. Similar instructions were directed to 

 be sent to the geographical engineers attached to the Algerine expedition, to 

 complete the work of Malte-Brun. 



April 16. M. Jomard communicated, on the part of M. MuUer, infor- 

 mation relative to the death of Major Laing, furnished by a Moor named 

 El-Hadgi-Sidi Ahmed, who had come from Timbuctoo, and was then at 

 St Louis. The same member read a letter from M. Lautier, dated from 

 Toubabou-Kane, containing details concerning Timbuctoo, obtained from 

 the Moor, Bouya. M. Jomard added, that French travellers were preparing 

 for a joiumey in Central Africa by way of Egypt ; and M. Moreau announced 

 that a similar expedition would set off immediately from England. M. 

 Jomard presented a lithograph, executed by one of the young Egyptians 

 sent to France by the Viceroy of Egypt. 



May 7. M. Morin presented a table of the elevation above the level of 

 the sea of different parts of the department of Upper Rhine. M. Girard 

 presented, on the part of M. Becquey, several geographical maps and tables 

 connected with the department of Doubs. M, David, vice-consul at Mexico, 

 sent to the Society a maritime atlas of North America, by Admiral 

 Cortez. M. Jomard communicated a letter from London, aimouncing the 



