36 
Committee and Members of the Society, he wished to express his 
gratification at seeing so many persons present. Since their last 
annual Sozvée they had had much to congratulate themselves upon. 
Their Members had largely increased during the meeting of the British 
Association in Brighton last August. The Society took an active part 
in that meeting, having organized the Botanical Department and the 
Microscopical display in the Corn Exchange ; and it was universally 
allowed that the Society gave great satisfaction. It took an honourable 
position with respect to the Sub-Wealden Exploration ; it subscribed 
to the funds, and it was arranged that the substances brought up in the 
course of the boring should be examined by Members of the Society, 
chemically, geologically, and microscopically. 
Many would be glad to know that Mr. Wonfor, their energetic Hon. 
Secretary, had recovered from his late illness. Mr. Wonfor had an 
admirable a/fer ego in Mr. Onions, who had carried out nearly all the 
arrangements for the present sozvrée. He had been requested to say a 
few words upon the Sub-Wealden Exploration. The Wealden was a 
series of beds directly under the lower green sand beneath the chalk, 
and extended over large parts of Surrey and Sussex ; and, crossing 
the Channel, re-appeared in France, extending 200 or 300 miles. It 
had been said the exploration was an experiment to find coal ; but it 
was nothing of the kind. The plan was Mr. Henry Willett’s, but it 
had been taken up by the British Association ; and a Committee was 
formed and subscriptions were obtained for carrying it out. The 
boring was not to find coal ; but to solve the problem—almost the only 
unsolved geological problem in these islands—of what underlies the 
Wealden. A well had been dug at the Warren Farm to a great depth, 
but although water was not reached so soon as was expected, no geolo- 
gical discovery was made. The successive formations were there 
known. But we know nothing as to what underlies the Wealden. It 
was very difficult to say at all what underlies them. Probably we 
might come upon the carboniferous formation or coal measures; and 
that probability had perhaps led persons to suppose this was a 
search for coal. Should these measures be reached, Sussex might 
again become a great iron country, and the glare of furnaces might 
again be seen. What the result would be he was not prepared to say ; 
but he supposed we should have to grin and bear our good fortune. 
In any case, the Sub-Wealden Exploration would add greatly to our 
scientific knowledge. 
Mr. SCHWEITZER then delivered an address, illustrated by experi- 
ments, upon Disinfectants. At times epidemics appeared, and when 
