46-t Astronomical Society. 



bonate of lime, containing angular fragments of a compound 

 of the same nature, but previously consolidated and broken, 

 along with numerous shells and fragments of shells, very nearly 

 resembling those of the adjacent seas. Its date appears to be 

 more recent than that of the beds which constitute the Paris 

 and London basins ; but anterior to the accumulation of the 

 diluvial gravel, and possibly coeval with that of the crag of 

 Suffolk, and the eastern coast of England ; though the strata 

 are in several respects different from these last-mentioned de- 

 posites. 



The calcareous concretions of New Holland have in some 

 instances a tubular and stem-like appearance, and have thence 

 been mistaken for corals and petrified branches of trees. 



On a general view of the north and north-west of New Hol- 

 land, it will be observed that the outline of the coast, in several 

 distant quarters, has a direction nearly uniform, from south- 

 west to north-east; which is the course also of the remarkable 

 ranges of islands on the north-west of the Gulf of Carpentaria. 

 It appears also that reddish sandstone of ancient date is very 

 abundant throughout tlje north and west coasts ; and it is not 

 altogether improbable that the prevailing direction of the 

 strata may be that above mentioned. 



So little is known of the remainder of Australia, and espe- 

 cially of the interior, that speculations upon its general struc- 

 ture would be premature ; but the linearity of the coast-lines 

 in several other places is remarkable ; and their course, as well 

 as that of the principal opening, has also a general tendency 

 to a direction from the west of south toward the east. The 

 coincidence of uniformity of range, with marked features of 

 geological constitution, is of such Irequent occurrence in other 

 parts of the globe, that these appearances are in the present 

 case deserving of attention ; bur they are mentioned by the 

 author, under the existing scantiness of information from Au- 

 stralia, merely as suggesting ground for more extensive in- 

 quiry. 



ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



Dec. 9. — The President informed the Society that when he 

 had the honour cf announcing, at their last meeting, the extra- 

 ordinary occurrence of the appearance ofjoui- comets in the 

 short space of as many months, he was little aware that he 

 might at that time have added a^/i/'i/i to the number. This last 

 comet appeared, fiom tlie account slated in the }5ublic jour- 

 nals, to have been discovered by M. Pons, at the beginning 

 of last month : but, as it had considerable sotdh declination 

 and was advancing also to the southward, and at the same time 

 very faint, it pi'obablv would not hi: .veen in this country. 



Akhoiiirh 



