president's address. 563 



Anakies, near Geelong, are three such crater hills, and huge 

 boulders of granite are mingled with the volcanic ashes ; one of 

 these boulders is from 10 to 15 feet in diameter. Near the crater 

 of another volcano I have seen fragments of Miocene limestone, 

 containing fossil shells, enclosed in the lava, showing that the 

 latter has come up through the Miocene beds ; and under the 

 basalt plains in the same locality occur horizontally stratified beds 

 of volcanic ash, such as we may imagine have lately been 

 deposited in the Straits of Sunda. 



In New South Wales volcanic rocks occur, more or less, on 

 almost every part of the Great Dividing Eange, both along its 

 summit and upon its eastern and western slopes ; but with the 

 exception of Mount Table Top, near Kiandra, the Canoblas, near 

 Orange, and perhaps one or two conical hills in New England, no 

 true crater-hills have been observed. The basaltic lava, in nearly 

 all instances, has welled up through numerous fissure-vents and 

 overflowed from them. 



I have before remarked that the researches of this Society are 

 not only of direct scientific value, but will also aid in the develop, 

 ment of the economic resources of the colony, or rather, as I should 

 say, of Australasia ; for though our home is in New South Wales, 

 and therefore New South Wales will be more immediately 

 benefited, yet the influence of the Society must reach beyond the 

 territorial lines which politically divide the great and naturally 

 united field every part of which must claim our attention. The 

 site of our homestead, being a very central one, has been well 

 selected. Several widely separated portions of Australasia 

 possess rich local resources capable of supporting populous com. 

 munities, but in no portion do there occur in such abundance and 

 variety the natural elements for the building up of a prosperous 

 nation, as in this central portion of Eastern Australia. 



Here within a comparatively small area are included the 

 principal physical features of the Continent ; and when we men- 

 tion that the land features are very varied, a corresponding variety 

 in the climate, the geology, and the fauna and flora may be 

 inferred. And when we also enter the ocean upon our list, and 

 Al3 



