deals with time as astronomy deals with space, and to both sciences are we 

 greatly indebted for the ideas of grandeiir and magnitude which they give us of 

 creation, the one indicating space so immense as to requue hundreds of thousands 

 of years for even that most swift of travellers. Light, to go from one body to 

 another, and the other telling us of the lapse of time sufficient even for such 

 distant bodies to become visible to each other, both proving to any reasonable 

 and reasoning mind that this earth is but a part of a magniiicent design. 



To Mr. Lightbody too this Society is much indebted for his papers on the 

 Passage Beds between the Silurian and Old Red Systems, and I trust s«me active 

 member will take his suggestion and carefully work the subject up. 



At our Usk meeting, beyond the finding some good though somewhat 

 mutilated specimens of the Homolanotus, the characteristic Trilobite of the 

 Silurian Rocks at Usk, the chief geological work of the day was Mr. La Touche's 

 able paper on Spheroidal Sti-ucture in Silurian Rocks. This structure is not, 

 I believe, by any means confined to Silurian rocks but occurs frequently in rocks 

 of other formations. The explanation given by Mr. La Touche of the cause of 

 this peculiar structure seems to be of a chemical nature, namelj', the centrali- 

 zation and concentric rearrangement of the lime particles of a rock mass, this 

 motion being induced by some internal molecular attraction. This explanation 

 seems probable as regards nodules or small masses of rock, but I should be 

 inclined to refer any large spheroidal structure, especially where, as Mr. La 

 Touche remarks, "there is no apjiarent difference whatever between the character 

 of the nodule and the sunounding rock," to physical and mechanical causes, 

 for it is well known that any rock exposed to the action either of aqueous or 

 aerial forces becomes rounded in form, the resisting corners having been taken 

 off. Now, if these rounded shaped rocks or stones be again brought into an 

 area of deposition, it seems probable that on one side at least the deposit would 

 partake of the spheroidal form of what might be called its foundation. The 

 ripple marks of a tidal beach might possibly in some instances be the starting 

 point. 



Passing onnow to the subject of Botany, we find that this subject has, as 

 usual, engaged the attention of several of our most active members, and we have 

 had some important notices of new and rare plants. 



Dr. Bull has brought to light another Mistletoe Oak, in Deerfold Forest ; 

 and there also, a plant new to Herefordshire, the Asariim Europwum, was found. 

 Indeed, these discoveries have led Botanists to look forward with great eagerness 

 to our expected excxirsion to that newly-discovered region. 



Another new plant has been added this year by Jlr. Martin to the Flora 

 of Herefordshire, namely, the Saponaria vaccaria (Cow-wort). A capital illus- 

 tration of this plant will be given in our volume. It has been found in England 

 before in cultivated positions, but has not as yet been admitted into the British 

 Flora, nor has it been figured before as a British plant. 



