524 Geological Societij, 



of one. third oil and two-thirds mucus. The author con- 

 cl'udes thai fat is not a secretion, as generally believed by 

 physiologists. 



March 25. In consequence of the death of Her Royal 

 Highness the Duchess of Brunswick, the Society n:iet only 

 to adjourn till after the funeral of this princess. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIEXr. 



March 5. Tlie Rifjht Hon. the Marquis of Lansdowne; 

 The Right Hon. Charles Long, M. P. ; 

 William Claike, Esq. Trinity Coll. Cambridge, 

 were severally elected members of the Society. 



Two letters from Mr. Webster, draughtsman and keeper 

 of the museum to the Society, addressed to L. Horner, Esq, 

 were read. 



In the first Mr. W. states that during a late examination 

 of the Isle of VVieht, made by him for Sir H. Englefield, 

 he discovered a series of calcareous strata of later formation 

 than the chalk, and especially characterized by containing 

 fresh-water shells. From this circumstance he was led to 

 suspect a correspondence between this formation and the 

 calcaire d'eaii douce, which has been described by Brog- 

 niart and Ciivier as forming some ot the strata iu the basin 

 of Paris ; which conjecture was condrmed by a comparison 

 of the fresh-water fossils oF the Isle of Wight with those 

 t)f the French strata which were given by M. Brogniart 

 to the Count de Bournon, and by him have been deposited 

 in the cabinet oF the Geological Society. 



In consequence of this interesting discovery, the .itlend- 

 ance of Mr. Webster at the Society's apartments was for 

 z time dispensed with, that he might re-examine the Isle of 

 Wight and its vicinity. Accordingly his letter is dated 

 from Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight, March 3d. In this 

 he states that he has succeeded in obtaining some very de- 

 sirable sections of the strata, and an abundant collection 

 of specimens. He is inclined to think that there are two 

 fresh- water formations, with a marine formation between. 

 The lowest f-csh-water formation consists of beds of sand 

 and marie, with numerous fragments of the limnea of La- 

 inarck, and of two species of plauorbis ; the interposed 

 marine deposit is of blue clay, with venuscs, oysters, and 

 various turbinated shells: and the upper fresh-water for- 

 mation consists of a calcareous rock inclosing numerous 

 and very fine specimens of the limnea and planoibis. Some 

 «i' this stratum is very friabl?, being otdy marie : other 



part& 



