554 Geological Society. 



by Ian tern -slides, microscope-slides, specimens of rocks, fossils, and 

 ])lants) entitled 'Geological Xote.s on Western Greenland.' 

 He remarked that Greenland is a 'closed' countiy ; the trade is a 

 monopoly of the Danish Government, and no foreigners or Danes 

 other than Government officials are allowed to go there without 

 special permission. On June 18th, 1921, the Lecturer left Copen- 

 hagen, accompanied by Mr. K. E. liolttum, of St. John's College, 

 with the primary object of collecting fossil and recent plants 

 on Disco Island and at other localities between hit. G9° X. and 

 71" N. Godthaab was reached on June 28th, and Godhavn (Disco 

 Island) on July -Ith. leather more than three weeks were passed 

 at the Arctic Station at Godhavn with Mr. Porsild, the Directoi", 

 who rendered invaluable service. The Arctic Station, which was 

 planned and directed b}' Mr. Porsild, was afterwards taken over 

 and subsidized by the Danish Government. In the course of two 

 motor-boat excursions, a distance of over (jOO miles was covered ; 

 man}^ localities were visited on the northern and north-eastern 

 coasts of Disco Island, on the coast of Xugsuak Peninsula, also 

 Hare Island, Upernivik Island, Ritenbenk, Sarkak, and Jakobshavn. 



Greenland is an island nearly 1700 miles long, with an average 

 breadth of about 600 miles ; approximately a hundred glaciers 

 from the inland ice reach the sea, the largest of which (the 

 Humboldt Glacier) ends in a cliff 60 miles broad. In the course 

 of the lectm-e attention was called to the various forms of icebergs 

 seen in Greenland waters, and to the views expressed by Mercanton 

 on the origin of the various types. A brief account was given of 

 some of the characteristic types of vegetation. A general account 

 of the physical and geological features of Greenland as a whole 

 wa< followed by a more detailed description of the Cretaceous and 

 Tertiai-y sedimentary series of Disco Island and the Xugsuak 

 Peninsula, and of the overlying and protecting basalts which in 

 some places rest directl}^ upon the old Archaean land-sui-face, to 

 the exclusion of the sedimentary series. Special attention was 

 dli'ected to the nature of the sedimentary rocks (most of which 

 are freshwater in origin), to the occurrence of raised beaches, to 

 evidence of recent sinking of parts of the western coast, and 

 to some of the more striking examples of dj'kes and sills in the 

 Ci'etaceous and Tertiary sedimentary series. 



No attempt was made to describe the palseobotanical results ; 

 but allusion was made to some of the problems presented by the 

 Cretaceous and Tertiary floras. 



A hearty vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to the 

 Lecturer. 



