GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 91 



igneous rocks proceeding from such a source would carry with it a weight 

 which would go far to establish uniformity of language and precision 

 of ideas on this important, but neglected, subject among British geo- 

 logists. 



Let us take, for an example, the term clinkstone. This is a name 

 given from a physical property common to it with many other rocks, 

 including even limestones. The term was one formed in the infancy 

 of geology, and has come to be used in a sense much more restricted 

 than its original application ; it now signifies a fine-grained felspathic 

 rock, of conchoidal fracture, generally of a grayish colour, and containing 

 zeolites as well as felspar. This is the correct meaning of the term 

 clinkstone ; and yet it is constantly applied to rocks which contain no 

 zeolites, and some of which are not even of eruptive origin. This con- 

 fusion as to the meaning of the term has led to the use of various syno- 

 nyms, or quasi synonyms, of which it is sufficient to mention felspathic 

 trap, hornstone, and felstone — the latter recently revived very usefully 

 by the Government geological surveyors. Why should not all these 

 terms, if retained at all, be used in definite senses ? The republic of 

 geologists is small, and many of its citizens are well educated ; surely 

 there could be no great difficulty in getting them all to use the same 

 language. 



At the conclusion of Mr. Haughton's paper, Mr. Kelly commenced 

 the reading of his paper on the " Subdivisions of the Carboniferous For- 

 mation in Ireland." The concluding portion of Mr. Kelly's paper was 

 deferred until the second Wednesday in March. 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, WEDNESDAY EVENING, 

 FEBRUARY 11, 1857. 



Rev. Htjmphkey Lloyd, D.D., in the Chair. 



The following Report from the Council was read, and adopted : — 



Your Council offers, as usual, the list of Members at present on the 

 books of the Society, with the corresponding list of last year, showing 

 that the present number of members is 164 ; while the number last year 

 was 165. 



Jan. 31, 1857. Jan. 81, 1856. 



Honorary Members, 4 5 



Corresponding Members, 3 4 



Resident Life Members, 17 15 



Non-resident Life Members, .... 34 28 



Annual Members, 85 82 



Associates, 21 31 



164 165 



From this comparison it appears that we have lost one of our Hono- 

 rary Members, viz., the Very Rev. Dean Buckland; and one Correspond- 



