Geological Society. — Astronomical Society. 69 



deposition is supposed by the author to have been that which im- 

 mediately preceded, and was terminated by the last grand aqueous 

 revolution which formed the diluvium. 



To a similar and contemporaneous period with this upper marine 

 formation of Montpelier,he refers the bones of the Elephant, Rhino- 

 ceros, &c. with marine shells, (oysters and barnacles adhering to 

 them,) that have been found in certain parts of the Sub-apennine 

 hills, and also the bones of similar quadrupeds and shells that occur 

 in the Crag of Norfolk and SuflTolk. 



To the same period also he assigns the bones of the osseous breccia 

 of Gibraltar, Cette, and other fissures and caves along the north 

 coast of the Mediten-anean ; and the accumulation of the remains 

 of bears, hyaenas, &c. in the caves of Germany, England and France : 

 he also attributes the same date to the bones of similar animals 

 that are found buried in the sediments of the antediluvian fresh- 

 water lake of the Upper Val d'Arno. 



Dec. 1. — An extract of a letter from B. de Basterol, Esq. to 

 Dr. Fitton, V.P.G.S. was read. 



The author gives a short account of the succession of the strata 

 in the vicinity of Folkstone, about which there had existed some 

 uncertainty ; from whence it appears that the Folkstone marl (or 

 Gault) is separated from the lowest beds of the chalk by a stratum 

 of green-sand, and is itself succeeded by sand and stone also abound- 

 ing in green particles. The order being as follows : 1 st, white chalk ; 

 2nd, gray chalk ; 3d a) sand containing green particles, and indi- 

 stinct organic remains, b) marl of a dirty white colour mixed 

 with the sand, and containing compact nodules ; 4th, the blue marl 

 of Folkstone (Gault) with Hamites, Inocerami, Ammonites, and a 

 small Belemnite. 5th, thick beds of sand and sandstone full of green 

 particles, but void of organic remains. 



The reading of a paper was commenced, entitled " Additional 

 notes on part of the opposite coasts of France and England, in- 

 cluding some account of the Lower Boulonnois, by Dr. Fitton, 

 V.P.G.S." 



ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



Nov. 10. — There was read a letter addressed to the President by 

 Lieut. Henry Foster, R.N., On the method of determining the 

 longitude by moon-culminating stars. The method was employed 

 in finding the longitude of Port Bowen, the station where the ex- 

 pedition for the discovery of a North-west passage, under the com- 

 mand of Capt. W. E. Parry, passed the winter of 1824-5. The ob- 

 servations were made with an excellent portable transit instrument 

 by Uollond, of thirty inches focal length, and two inches aperture; 

 and made as often as circumstances would admit, between Dec. 5, 

 1824-, and April 1, 1825. The resulting longitude is 5'' 55'" 39*-2 

 west of Greenwich; the latitude being 73° lb' 39"-4' north. 



During a residence of nine months at Port Bowen, Lieut. Foster 

 had opportunities of trying most of the known methods for deter- 

 mining the longitude : that, by measuring the distance of the moon's 



limb 



