that subject, and will, therefore, pass on at once to review the varied scientific 

 work which has come under our notice during the year 1869. 



Taking the various departments of science in order, I will first notice 

 that seience which, perhaps, is of the most general interest to members of this 

 Society, namely, 



Geology. — On this subject our Society has been favoured with several 

 important and interesting jjapers and field addresses. At our first meeting the 

 Rev. Mr. Symonds, President of the Malvern Club, in his field address, ably 

 pointed out the ancient date and conformation of the Malvern Hills, and how 

 the rocks which form the basis of that range of hills are probably coeval with 

 the Laurentian rocks of Canada, which may be looked upon as the lowest known 

 sedimentary rocks. As yet, the Malvern Hill rocks have failed to afford any 

 traces of organic remains, but investigation by the members of the Malvern Club 

 may, perhaps, bring to light some Eozoon, something similar to what has been 

 found in Canada. 



It is also interesting to know that even at that early date the working of 

 volcanic action must have been something like what is at the present day in 

 some of the intermittent volcanoes. 



Mr. Symonds' remarks upon the formation and subsequent denudation of 

 the old red sandstones of Herefordshire, point to studies of the greatest interest, 

 and I am convinced that no greater aid to the science of geology can possibly 

 be afforded to members of this Society than by the careful investigation of the 

 phenomena connected with the physical conditions of the formation of ancient 

 strata ; and I doubt not but that such researches will go to the fiuther establish- 

 ment of the great physical probability, that the workings of Nature in primaeval 

 days were similar to what they are at the present day. 



At our second meeting at Pontrilas we were much indebted to Dr. 

 M"Cullough for his interesting remarks on Cornstones, and I doubt not, 

 systematic geologists will not be slow to avail themselves of his clear and well 

 defined divisions of concretionary and conglomerate cornstones ; and I am sure 

 the Club will feel gi-eatly obliged to Dr. M'CuUough if he will continue his 

 investigations both on the chemical and paloeontological composition of the 

 cornstones. 



The Society has also to thank the Doctor for bringing to light some new 

 and interesting fossils. 



On the Ladies' day, at Downton Castle, Mr. Lightbody gave us his ex- 

 cellent paper on Geological Time, and in it has given a very perfect epitome of 

 the sequence of the earth's strata, and when we consider the time which even 

 the most recent formations, such for instance as the delta of the Nile, have taken 

 to become what they are now, our minds aie lost in utter bewilderment at the 

 length of time this earth must have been rolling on, unceasing changes going 

 forward the while itpon its surface. As Mr. Lightbody justly observes, geology 



