Proceedings of the British Association. 183 



of low ground, surrounded on three sides by the sea, and entirely built 

 of stone to avoid the effect of hurricanes. At the time of the earth- 

 quake, most of the inhabitants appear to have been at their late break- 

 fast, in consequence of which 4,000 perished among the falling houses, 

 or in the fire which broke out immediately after ; the destruction of th 

 whole town was so complete, as to present, after the earthquake, the 

 appearance of a vast stone quarry. The landslips were very nume- 

 rous, and all the springs in the vicinity of Point-a-Pitre were instantly 

 dried up. The shock was felt slightly as far north as Washington and 

 Bermuda, aud southward to Demerara, travelling in a N. N. E. and 



S. S. E. direction ; several slight shocks were subsequently felt at dif- 

 ferent periods. 



" On the important additions recently made to the Fossil Contents 



of the Tertiary Basin of the Middle Rhine;' by R. I. Murchison, Esq. 



After a sketch of the geographical limits and geological relations of 



the tertiary deposits which occupy the valley of the Rhine and Mayne, 



around the towns of Mayence, Frankfort, and Darmstadt, Mr. Murchi- 



son § ave ai * account of the recent discoveries made by M. H. von 



Meyer, M. Kaup, of Darmstadt, and M. Braun, of Heidelberg. Of the 



animals of this tertiary basin, M. von Meyer had catalogued and was 



Preparing for publication 68 mammifers, 30 reptiles, 13 birds, and 8 



atrachians — nearly all being undescribed species, and most of them 



small dimensions. Amongst the new animals discovered by M. 



au P, were mentioned the Chalicotherium, a genus allied to Anopho- 



e num and Lophiodon ; the Hippotherium, differing from the recent 



quus m the possession of an additional metacarpal bone ; and a mi- 



° Ute Sau rian, named Pisodon Colei. M. Kaup had determined from 



examination of the remains of various species of rhinoceros, tapir, 



■ 0Ccur nng in this deposit, that the Fauna of the period presented a 



°se affinity to the types of the Indian and Sumatran archipelago, and 



, ere entl rely distinct from all known European mammalia. He had 



So collected a large series of mastodontoid remains, which completely 



P rov ed the views of Prof. Owen, respecting the identity of the Ameri- 



, an * etr acaulodon with the true Mastodon. The invertebrata of the 



posite have been examined by M. Alexander Braun, and have been 



° Und t0 Uprise 450 species, 306 of which are mollusca, and 103 shells, 



which, 10 species only were identical with living forms. Many of 



s ells approach closely in form to those in the calcaire grossier of 



5 and this circumstance, together with the occurrence of the Anthra- 



erium, and of an animal intermediate between the Anoplotherium and 



otherium, makes it probable that the deposit belongs to the same age 



th n ^ psum bec * s °f Montmartre, and the Ryde and Binsted strata of 



S e of Wight. These tertiaiy beds are covered with gravel, sand, 





