1818.] Royal Academy of Sciences. 139 



and sweeps round every mountain tract, filling up all the inter- 

 vening spaces. 



The coal district of Leinster forms a range of low hills, placed 

 upon and elevated above the floetz limestone. It is about six 

 miles broad and about 1 8 in length, and consists of coal alter- 

 nating with shale and great stones, and resting on a bed of tine 

 clay. 



The alluvial tract contains with the limestone gravel, some 

 valuable and extensive beds of marl, containing the remains of 

 the Irish elk, and, in one instance, of the red deer. But the 

 bones of a complete skeleton of the elk have not yet been found 

 together. 



At the same meeting, a paper, by H. Warburton, Esq. was 

 read, " On Chromate of Iron as a volcanic Production." 



In the Journal de Physique for March, 1818, the Chevalier 

 Sementini describes some red earth, which fell in Calabria, 

 mixed with crystals of pyroxene, and found on analysis to con- 

 tain chrome, which M. Sementini considers indicative of 

 meteoric origin.* Mr. Warburton observes that pyroxene is 

 almost exclusively of volcanic origin, and he refers to a specimen 

 of olivine presented by him last November to the Society, from 

 the extinct volcanoes near Geroldstein, coloured green by oxide 

 of chrome, and accompanied by grains of chromate of iron. 

 From these circumstances, Mr. Warburton infers the greater 

 probability that the earth in question was of volcanic origin. 



KOYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AT PARIS. 



March 2. — M. Vallee presented in manuscript a treatise on 

 descriptive geometry accompanied by drawings. 



The committee appointed by the academy to adjudge the 

 prize offered in the class of physics to the best essay on the 

 thermometric scale and the laws of the transmission of heat, 

 made their report. The memoir which, in the unanimous opinion 

 of the committee, was worthy of the prize, proved, on opening 

 the accompanying sealed note, to be the joint production of 

 M. Petit, Professor at theEcole Polytechnique, and of M. Dulong, 

 Professor at the Ecole Royale of Alfort. 



M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire read a memoir on the Os Hyoides 

 of the Mammalia. 



M. Manouri-Dectot read a memoir on a new Steam Engine, 

 and M. Delille read one on the Persea. 



March 9. — M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire presented a printed «opy 

 of a memoir, " On the Unity of Composition and Identity of the 

 Substances composing the respiratory Organs in Animals with 

 Vertebra;." 



M. F. H. du Locle communicated a memoir on the Isochro- 

 nibin of Spiral Springs. 



» See Anmh of Philosophy, xi. 466. 



