213 



A most interesting collection of Old Red Sandstone fossils was exhibited 

 by Mr. Salwey, and, amongst other rare IchthyoUtes, the Cephalaspis Salweyi, 

 desciibed and figured by JMi. Salter, in the Transactions of the Geological Society. 

 Mr. Salwey said that much attention had lately been given in Ireland to the 

 study of the Old Red Sandstone series, and that in all parts of the country a 

 remarkable fact had been observed, viz., the unconformability of the Upper Con- 

 glomerate of the Old Red to the miderlying strata. Little had yet been done 

 towards the working out of the Old Red Sandstone of Herefordshire, principally, 

 he thought, from its unattractiveness in comparison with the underlymg Silurian 

 rocks, no fragment of which but yielded its organism. But it must be remem- 

 bered that, although the geologist might labour for days amongst the rocks of 

 the Old Red without success, he was rewarded at last, probably with a single 

 fossil worth a whole waggon-load of Silurians. It had been well remarked that 

 every man who hammered away for fossils in a quarry must not consider himself 

 a geologist. There was real work to be done in Herefordshire. At the edges 

 of the Coal Measures in various parts of the district there were many opportunities 

 of studying the Upper beds of the Old Red, and he trusted the members would 

 put their shoulders to the wheel, and work out the interesting problem suggested 

 by the Irish explorations. He was not prepared to give a decided opinion as to 

 whether the same phenomenon obtained in the Old Red Sandstone of Hereford- 

 shire ; but, if it did, and he was inclined to think so, the result might be that the 

 Conglomerate of the Old Red must henceforth be classed as the base of the 

 Carboniferous system. Dr. Bevan observed that he lately examined the great 

 escarpment of the Scyrrid, and thought he detected a general unconformability 

 between the Conglomerate and the Lower beds ; but he was not yet in a position 

 to give a decided opinion upon it. He thought the subject one of great interest. 



The retiring President's address was read by Mr. Crouch, and the cordial 

 thanks of the Club were voted to Mr. C. Lingen, for his indefatigable and valuable 

 exertions as their President for the past year. 



Dr. Bevan, of Beaufort, is President of the Club for 1858, and the Secretaries 

 were re-elected. The days and places of meeting for the year were fixed for 



June 3rd, Ledbury. 

 July 20th, Bromyard. 

 August 24th, Usk. 



ADDRESS 



of the retiring President, Charles Lingen, Esq., M.D., read in his absence 



before the Members of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club, at their 



Annual Meeting, held in Hereford, January 26th, 1858. 



My year of office has closed, and now it becomes my duty — a somewhat 



embarrassing one I find — to give an account of our proceedings since you did me 



the honour, twelve months ago, to elect me your President ; but I must first 



record my acknowledgments for the honour conferred, v\hich 1 felt to be as 



