Oct. 4, 1888] 



NATURE 



549 



logical maps. The map of the British Isles was handed 

 in for publication at the closing meeting. Very little time 

 was given to the map in the public sessions of the Congress, 

 but the Map Commission had three long sittings, the results 

 of which will be printed in the official Report. The most 

 important points arrived at were the adoption of the term 

 Pleistocene for the index of the map (the German term 

 " guar tar" to be bracketed with this) ; the separation of 

 the modern deposits from the Pleistocene, and the map- 

 ping of the latter wherever practicable, the underlying 

 formations (where known) to be distinguished by coloured 

 lines; in modern eruptive rocks (those of volcanoes now 

 active or only recently extinct) the stratified volcanic tuffs 

 are to be distinguished from the cinders and the scoriae. 



M. Karpinski has been the representative of Russia on 

 the -Map Commission. On thisoccasion he was not present, 

 his place being taken by MM. Nikitin and Tschernicheff. 

 The latter submitted an important note on the crystalline 

 schists of the Ural Mountains, which would have 

 enlivened the discussion upon this question in the public 

 meetings of the Congress. He states that the crystalline 

 schists of the Urals contain limestones with a distinct 

 hercynian fauna, and also that the schists pass horizon- 

 tally into Devonian strata. It is probable that in cases 

 of this kind (and similar cases elsewhere were referred to 

 in the public discussion) the schists will be represented by 

 the colour denoting their presumed age, whilst their 

 present lithological character will be denoted by coloured 

 lines. Iff. Nikitin raised a point which is important in 

 many parts of Europe, but which is especially so in 

 Russia — that is, the necessity of distinguishing transition- 

 beds. He instanced the Volgian beds, which link the 

 Jurassic with the Cretaceous ; the Tartarian, between the 

 Permian and the Trias ; and others, spoken of by M. 

 Nikitin as Permo-Carboniferous, which link the Permian 

 to the Carboniferous. These transition-beds occupy 

 immense areas in Russia, and cannot well be fitted into 

 the existing classification. 



The discussion on the crystalline schists occupied the 

 whole of the sitting on Wednesday, and part of that on 

 Friday. The material for this discussion had been pro- 

 vided by a collection of papers printed in advance and 

 distributed at the opening. Translations from parts of 

 this polyglot pamphlet have now appeared in Nature. 

 Essays in English were also contributed by five officers of 

 the United States Geological Survey, with an introduction 

 by Major Powell ; and by Mr. Lawson, of the Geological 

 Survey of Canada. One by Reusch, on Norway, also in 

 English, was received too late for printing in the pamphlet, 

 but it will appear in the full Report of the Congress. 



This discussion derived additional value from the fine 

 collection of rocks, maps, lectures, &c, illustrating this 

 particular subject close at hand in the temporary Museum. 

 The Geological Survey exhibited a large collection of 

 rocks, maps, sections, &c, illustrating the North- West, the 

 Central, and the Southern Highlands of Scotland ; im- 

 portant collections of British rocks were also exhibited by 

 Bonney, Blake, Hicks, Callaway, Cole, Hatch, Rutley, 

 Wunsch, and others; foreign rocks were, exhibited by 

 Bell from Canada, Delgado from Portugal, Torell from 

 Sweden, Reusch from Norway, Giordano and Mattirolo 

 from Italy ; whilst maps, drawings, models, &c, illus- 

 trating the discussion, were exhibited by Teall, Baltzer, 

 Cadell, Ricketts, Lapworth, and others. Spe:ial mention 

 should be m ide of the spknlid <o lection exhibited by 

 Heim, illustrating the deformation, crushing, &c, which 

 the rocks of the Alps have undergone. All these ex- 

 hibits are described in the Catalogue (54 pages with 

 supplement of 4 pages). Several members of the Con- 

 gress assisted in the arrangement of this Museum, but its 

 success was chiefly due to the labours of Dr. Hinde, Mr. 

 Teall, and Mr. Rudler. 



In the foregoing notes we have not attempted to 

 summarize the discussions. These were reported at 



some length in the Times and in other papers. We have 

 preferred to devote the space at our disposal to a general 

 survey of the meeting, and to note some points of im- 

 portance which could not well be included in a formal 

 report of daily proceedings. As already stated, the dis- 

 cussions may by some be held to have led to no definite 

 result, inasmuch as no vote was taken and therefore no 

 formal decision of the Congress can in future be appealed 

 to. But the great value of such meetings lies in the 

 opportunity afforded for personal discussion and the inter- 

 change of opinions, not only in the public sessions, but in 

 the more easy and informal conversations over the exhibits 

 in the Museum, in the corridors and reading-room, and 

 at the friendly and social gatherings which made so 

 pleasant a feature of the London meeting. We have no 

 doubt that the general result of this meeting on geological 

 opinion and progress will be at least as good as that of 

 any which has gone before. 



The London Congress was particularly fortunate in its 

 place of meeting. Within the walls of the University of 

 London there was ample accommodation for all the re- 

 quirements of the Congress, whilst close at hand were the 

 Jermyn Street Museum and the rooms of the Geological 

 Society. Unfortunately the Honorary President, Prof. 

 Huxley, was kept away by ill-health ; Prof. Hughes, who 

 has done so much for the Congress in England, was also 

 unable to attend. The early death of M. Fontannes, who 

 has so ably reported the proceedings of previous meetings, 

 is a great loss to the Congress, and many fears were ex- 

 pressed that his place could not be adequately filled ; but 

 the labours of Messrs. Hulke and Foster in the Council, and 

 of Barrois and Renard at the meetings, resulted in fuller 

 reports than have appeared of any previous Congress. 



REMARKS ON SOME OF THE MORE RECENT 

 PUBLICATIONS DEALING WITH THE 

 CRYSTALLINE SCHISTS. 1 



TN acceding to the invitation of the Geological Congress to 

 -^ contribute to the discussion of the crystalline schists, the 

 author expresses his regret that his time has not allowed him to 

 throw new light by fresh observation on the points of con- 

 troversy. Other labours have for a long time completely 

 occupied him ; so that he has only been able to occasionally 

 assist with advice a younger fellow-worker, Herr Emil Danzig, 

 of Rochlitz, in his researches on the Saxon granulites. This 

 work, which has but recently been brought to a close, and has 

 been placed at the disposition of the members of the Congress, 

 is recommended to the notice of those fellow-workers who are 

 interested in these matters, for in it the granulite question has 

 been completely treated and advanced another stage. 



Prof. Lehmann still takes his stand on the results furnished 

 him four years ago by his investigations on the old crystalline 

 schists. 



The, on the whole, favourable reception of those investiga- 

 tions assuredly indicates that the right path has been struck, and 

 that an extension of our views on the crystalline schists has 

 resulted from them. This is also proved by the fact that these 

 views have also been successfully applied in other places. That 

 in many cases the opinions advocated by the author have not 

 been rendered quite correctly, cannot excite surprise. Such 

 misconceptions were scarcely to be avoided. 



Prof. Lehmann strenuously opposes the notion that his 

 generalizations were made without due consideration, and draws 

 attention to certain criticisms to which his work has been recently 

 subjected. 



As is well known, the controversy on the Saxon granulites 

 turns on the question, whether their plainly developed parallel 

 structure is to be regarded as true bedding in the sense of sedi- 

 mentary deposition, or as. of eruptive or plutonic origin. The 

 same questions arise in the discussion of all other districts in 

 which crystalline schists occur ; the solution, however, will by 

 no means always be the same. It is beyond doubt that a whole 



• " Bemerkungen zu einigen neueren Arbeiten iiher Krystallinisch- 

 schiefrige Gesteine," by Prof. J. Lehmann. Published by the International 

 Geological Congress, London, 188S. (Abstracted from the German by Dr. 

 F. H. Hatch.) 



