84 



is a slaty anthracite, containing some calcite, like the Jerusalem coal, and 

 a little Eulphur. It is of no value, owing lo the thinness of the seam — 

 8 or 9 inches. Tbe specimen of shale (No. 3) was met with at about 140 

 feet. It contains numerous vegetable impressions, but they are so much 

 confused and obliterated that I can only identify a fragment of Peeopteris 

 Australis. So far as the evidence goes, there is nothing to discourage 

 the promoters of this enterprise ; but if they do not strike what is known 

 as the 5ft. seam, at a depth of 180 to 200 feet, the inference will be that 

 they are too low down in the series, and they should look out for a 

 locality in which there has been less denudation of its upper members."] 

 Presentations to the Library — 



1. From Dr. Agnew. — Journal of the Archeological Society of Ireland, 



Nos. 13 to 19, and part 4 (plates). 



2. From the author, Baron F. von Mueller, on the part of the Govern- 



ment of Victoria — " Fragmenta phytographias Australise, vol. 8. 



3. From the Government of New Zealand. — " Transactions of the 



New Zealand Institute," vol. 7. 



4. From the author, J. Wood Beilby, Melbourne. — A pamphlet on 



mining for gold and coal. 



5. From the Eoyal University of Norway. — Sundry publications on 



Geology, Eutomology, Egyptian inscriptions, etc. 



J. R. Scott, Esq., M L.C. read an account of a visit made by him to 

 Port Davey in March last. This exceedingly interesting paper was listened 

 to with marked attention. It was illustrated by sketches of the local 

 scenery, the " piners " huts or " Badger Boxes," etc., and also by a large 

 and very well executed chart of Port Davey and the surrounding country, 

 drawn by Mr. Scott himself, partly from personal survey, and in part 

 from the Government map of the country. 



The Rev. Julian Woods drew attention to some remarks made by 

 him at the previous meeting with reference to certain flint implements, 

 and the antiquity of cave remains. What he intended to convey was not 

 so much his own opinion as that of eminent geologists, whose conclusions 

 on these subjects had undergone considerable modification of late years. 

 He was only citing the observations of Prof. Prestwich in his inaugural 

 address on assuming the professorship of geology at Oxford on the 29th 

 of January of this year; in which, referring to the theories of other 

 geologists, and to the philosophy of Hutton, Playfair, and their successors, 

 Mr. Prestwich said it is a question whether the license which was formerly 

 taken with energy is not now taken with time. The points at issue 

 are, first, whether our experience on these questions is sufficient to enable 

 us to reason from analogy ; and secondly, whether all changes on the 

 earth's surface are to be explained by the agency of forces alike in kind 

 and degree with those now in action. Mr. Prestwich then states his 

 reasons for answering these questions in the negative. He (Mr. Woods) 

 merely drew attention to the fact of a race using flint implements 

 having become extinct within the last 60 years as a case in point. 



Mr. Rule took occasion to remark with regard to the cave at Brixham, 

 mentioned last month, as one of the evidences of the great antiquity of 

 man, that the stalagmite forming the floor was only one foot thick, not 

 many feet, as the published report represented him to have said. He 

 added that the thickness of the floor was not the only indication of the 

 remote period when the cave-dwellers lived, for underneath was a bed of 

 loam fifteen feet deep, beneath that a bed of gravel deeper still, and 

 some of the flint implements were found at the bottom of all. Moreover, 

 the cave was on a hill aide, a hundred feet higher than the present beds 

 of the neighbouring streams, which, since the water deposits in question, 

 appear to have worn down their beds to that extent. This process (the 



