PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Ixxi. 



them coming from a new submarine earthquake region to the 

 south-west of New Zealand. Some of these were noticed by the 

 English instruments, but I am not aware that any of them were 

 of sufficient magnitude to be personally felt by the Antarctic 

 explorers. 



In April and May, 1905, Vesuvius was increasingly active, and 

 between May 25th and 27 th there were violent explosions 

 followed by streams of lava. The most violent eruption of 

 Vesuvius since 1872 took place, however, in April, 1906, 

 reaching its height on April 7th, when the sides of the cone 

 subsided and the streams of lava, which had already broken out, 

 greatly increased. Ashes fell in places a yard deep, and large 

 blocks were also ejected from the crater, the greatest damage 

 being sustained in parts to the north-east of the mountain, 

 where many houses collapsed owing to the weight on their 

 roofs. 



The Rhymney Valley landslide, which has lately been brought 

 to public notice, is known to have been in progress for the last 

 50 years, but its movement has been so slow that the Rhymney 

 Railway, with a stone bridge over it, has only been carried about 

 10 feet in that period, and the bridge, though damaged, was 

 only replaced by an iron one three years ago. The moving 

 portion is a deposit, perhaps glacial, about 2,000 to 3,000 feet 

 broad, and not more than 20 feet thick ; but there have been 

 smaller landslips in the district of a more rapid nature, which 

 have done local damage. The fall of rock at Cheddar, on 

 February i4th last, was greatly exaggerated, and is of very little 

 importance. It is a matter for congratulation that a Royal 

 Commission is to investigate generally the encroachment of the 

 sea on our coasts, which is in some parts serious. 



Superior coal of Eocene age has been found in the Philippines, 

 and will be worked by the Americans, and it is hoped that coal 

 may exist in Cretaceous beds in British New Guinea. With 

 regard to another form of carbon, I greatly regret that the great 

 diamond found in 1905, weighing i'37lb., has been cut into 

 more saleable smaller ones, no millionaire having intervened to 



