62 PROF. EDWARD HULL, LL.D., F.E.B., P.G.S. 



view held good. This is, indeed, a prodigious proportion of soluble 

 material to be even temporarily withheld from an almost omni- 

 present solvent. Is it not much more reasonable to believe that 

 the ocean, as it receded from the upheaved land, took its salt with 

 it? 



The following is the author's reply : — 



I do not think there is any discrepancy between my views and 

 those of the creation of land and ocean in Genesis : on the con- 

 trary I venture to maintain they are quite consistent. Nor can I 

 see how Dr. Biddle is to account for the sodium of the sodium 

 chloride unless it was derived from the decomposition of the rocks 

 by the chlorine which (I assume) existed in the original aqueous 

 atmosphere. His statement that "it is not unreasonable to believe, 

 &c.," is not scientific induction, but only mere assumption. As for 

 the beds of salt in the strata of Cheshire and Worcestershire, the 

 opinions of geologists are almost unanimous that they were formed 

 on the beds of inland lakes like those of the Dead Sea, of Utah 

 and of Central Asia; though, I admit, that there are instances of 

 their formation in the way Dr. Biddle describes. 



ORDINARY MEETING.* 

 Professor E. Hull, LL.D., F.R.S., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 

 following Elections were announced : — 



Associates : — Rev. C. W. A. Clarke, M. A., India ; Rev. J. P. Clark, MA., 

 London ; Rev, H. D. Buswell, Mauritius ; Rev. H. J. Iloaie, India. 



A lecture entitled " Primitive Indian Philosophy, with some Modern 

 Parallels," was given by Mr. W. H. Robinson, 



* 8th of 28th Session. 



