president's addrkss. 859 



it desirable to inquire of Mr. R. L Jack whether it was not 

 possible that the same condition existed on the coast side of the 

 Dividing Range, and that thus the beds in question might really 

 be of Lower Cretaceous Age. 



Mr. Jack's reply is as follows : — " I cannot see my way to 

 putting the Oxley beds on a higher hoi'izon than the rest of the 

 Ipswich formation. Stratigraphically it would not work. They 

 form an integral part of the formation which from top to liottom 

 yields the assemblage of plants on which the Triasso- Jurassic 

 age of the whole was founded. They are pretty well up in the 

 series, but what evidence there is is all against their being the 

 uppermost part or anywhere near it. I believe them to be beloiu 

 the thick Murphy's Creek Sandstone and the Clifton Coals and 

 Shales which give the sams fossil plants as the shales associated 

 with the coal seams of Ipswich proper." 



If Mr. Jack's views as to the age of the beds is correct, they 

 jjoint undoubtedly to the conclusion that at an age when European 

 and American dicotyledons exhibited a rudimentary or transition 

 character, the southern hemisphere already possessed types of 

 high development. Before this becomes an accepted fact, it is 

 needless to say that some further corroboration of the conclusions 

 as to the correspondence in age of the so-called Jurassic beds of 

 Australia and those of the northern hemisphere should be sought. 



I wish to take this opportunity of expressing my best thanks to 

 Messrs. R. Etheridge, Junr., T. W. E. David, E. F. Pittmau, R. L. 

 Jack, T. S. Hall, G. B. Pritchard, J. H. Wright, H. C. Russell, 

 C. J. Merfield, C. Hedley, R. T. Baker, H. C. L. Anderson, J. J. 

 Fletcher and others for the assistance they have given me in the 

 preparation of this Address and that of last year b}' placing books 

 and facts at my disposal. 



On the motion of Professor Ilaswell, seconded b}' Mr. W. S. 

 Dun, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the President 

 for his interesting Address. 



The subjoined financial statement for the year ending March 

 31st, 1897, was presented by the Hon. Treasurer, and adopted. 



