iVernenan Natural History SMety, 385 



in Gerard Street, in pursuance of their laws and charter,' t3 

 elect a president, council, and officers for the ensjing 

 year: when tlie following five new members of council 

 were elected : — John Blackhurne, esq. Edward Forster, esq. 

 George Milne, esq. Kdward lludge, esq. and Edward Lord 

 Stanley. And the following were chostn as officers : James 

 Edward Smith, M. D. president; Thomas Mars'mm, esq. 

 treasurer; Alexander JVlacLcay, esq. secretary; and Mr. 

 Richard Taylor, under secretary. 



The society afterwards dined together at Freemasons* 

 Tavern, as usual. 



WERNEBIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETr. 



At the meeting of this society, on the JthApril, Dr. 

 Macknight read a niineralogical notice, on the tract of the 

 Highlands from Killin to Braemar, by the way Of Glen 

 Tilt. V)C\\ Lawers is comj)osed of undulated, mica-slate, 

 which at the sun)mit is yellowish gr ly, and in some varie- 

 ties so full of quartz as to resemble a sandstone. Towards 

 Logierait, beautiful garnets begin to appear. Beyond Mul- 

 Icnearu^, gneiss occurs ; also limestone, hornblende-slate, an4 

 sienit'e. Besides the substances first mentioned, Glesrjllt jsl 

 remarkable by a peculiar aggregate of feldspar, hornblend:^,-; 

 and occasionally quartz ; in which the various proportion^: 

 of these ingredients cxliibit the rock under various asj^ecls: 

 of the sienitic and greenstone species. It is distinguished 

 from granite (for which it has been n}istaken) not only by: 

 the uncrystallized state of the feldspar, but by the preser)ce> 

 of hornblende, and the absence of mica. Professor .fame-, 

 son has entitled it sieniiic greenstone. Tt occurs, in con- 

 formable beds ; particularly one of great size, which inter- 

 sects the channel of the river at different places, near the 

 lodge. Crossing the mountains from Glen Tilt .to the 

 course of the Dee, we find hornstene, feldspar-porphyry, 

 and limestone, subordinate to mica-slate and gneiss ; liil 

 we reach the Castletown of Braemar, where the graiiite of 

 the Grampians at length appears. 



At the same meeting, a communication from colonel 

 Tmrie was read, descrioing the conglomerate-rock of the 

 Grampians, and tracing it from near Stonehaven to the 

 Burn, and again at Callender, 80 miles distant. The po- 

 sition of this conglomerate- rock is nearly vertical ; and of 

 this fact, in col. Inuie's opinion, no satisfactory explana- 

 tion has yet been given. — At this meeting, also, there was 

 laid befot'c the society an accurate section of the coal-field 

 at Alloa, accompanied with interesting remarks^ bv Mr. 



Vol. 33. No. 143. May ISIO. Bb RobeifC 



