l8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 



following way : — The crater is always half-full of an 

 unusually fluid kind of lava, in a state of constant agitation, 

 owing to the outburst of gases. Waves of this fiery liquid 

 are shattered against the rocky sides of the crater ; and the 

 drops as they break away from the mass carry away with 

 them one or more fine threads of the material, which float 

 away in the wind and collect in tufts on adjacent rocks. 

 (See an account by Prof. Moseley in the " Narrative of 

 the Challenger Expedition," Vol. I, part 2, p. 768). 



Specimens of the so-called "slag-wool" were also shewn: 

 a product manufactured in a very analogous way, viz. : 

 by blowing jets of high-pressure and super-heated steam 

 through liquid blast-furnace slag. This is now extensively 

 used for covering boilers and steam-pipes, owing to its 

 being an extremely bad conductor of heat, and quite 

 incombustible. 



Mr Etheridge, F.R.S., gave the fourth and last paper, 

 taking for his subject, " Rivers of the Upper Region 

 of the Thames." 



That the closing lecture during my Presidency should 

 have been given by my old friend, Mr Etheridge, was a 

 real pleasure to me, and it is a very valuable contribution to 

 our Proceedings. 



As all these papers will be pubHshed in the usual course 

 no extract from them here is necessarv. 



And now Gentlemen, as President of the Club for the 

 last six vears, it is with deep regret that I tender you my 

 resignation. 



To be no longer your leader — to give up a position of 

 which I have been justly proud — is indeed painful. 



I shall always be grateful for the aid I have received 

 from my colleagues — your Vice-Presidents, your very able 

 Hon. Secretary, upon whom much of the work has 

 devolved ; and vour excellent Hon. Treasurer. 



