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Brighton and Sussex Natural History Societt. 

 April 10. — Mr. Glaisher, Vice-President, in the chair. 



The President, Mr. T. H. Hennah, F.R.M.S., read a report on 

 soundings made by Sir E. Parry in 1818 in Arctic seas. 



The history of these soundings was this : — Mr. J. Cordy 

 Burrows, some years since, purchased from the widow of Sir E. 

 Parry his geological collections, among which were certain sound- 

 ings. The geological specimens were placed in the Brighton 

 Museum, but the soundings were given to Mr. Peto, who, in 

 January of this year, placed them in Mr. Hennah's hands for 

 examination. They were made by Sir E. Parry in his Arctic 

 Expedition of 1818, in Davis Strait and Lancaster Sound, between 

 lat. 68° N and 76° 15' W, and long. 73° W and 78° 34' W, in 

 depths of 22 fathoms to 1058 fathoms. Those from shallow 

 water consisted of fragments of stone and coral water, worn evi- 

 dently by a strong current, zoophites, a microscopic madrepore, 

 and the tube of an annelid were found in them. From deeper loca- 

 lities the soundings were rich in organic debris, much of the sand 

 being in tlie form of testa of arenaceous Foraminifera of different 

 kinds ; diatoms, especially large Coscinodisci, were also abundant. 

 Sponge spicules also abounded, but shelly Foraminiferae and Poly- 

 cystina were very scarce. Of tlie Foraminifera in many cases 

 casts only of the inside of the shells were found. In sand and weed 

 from Lancaster Sound, lat. 73° N., and 670 fathoms, borings of 

 annelids still containing the skins of their inhabitants were found, 

 affording conclusive evidence of the existence of life at great 

 deptlis in Arctic seas. It was much to be regretted that these 

 soundings, which might years since have taught so valuable a 

 lesson, should have been allowed to remain unexamined until their 

 historical interest and the prominence of deep-sea soundings had 

 caused them to be brought to light. The recent discoveries of 

 Carpenter, Thompson, and Jeffreys were next alluded to, and the 

 fact pointed out that the soundings made by Sir E. Parry corre- 

 sponded well with what had recently been found in temperate seas 

 having a low bottom temperature. 



Jfay 12.— Mr. T. H. Hennah, F.R.M.S., President, in the chair. 



An evening for the exhibition of specimens, at which Dr. 

 Badcock exhibited fossil wood recently obtained from Portland 

 Island. Mr. Parley laid on the table specimens of oak-stained 

 green by fungus Helotium JEruginosum picked up at Tunbridge 

 Wells. Tins supplies the green seen in Tunbridge Wells' ware. 

 Dr. Halifax, commenting on this fungus, stated he had raised it 

 from spores obtained from specimens of green-coloured oak. There 

 was no doubt of the true nature of the fungus, for in thin slices of 

 the infected wood the mycelious threads, and even spores at times, 

 could be made out. 



