218 



NA TURE 



[/uty 3 , 1884 



K. [ones and Mr. A. R. Selwyn ; the Secretaries are Dr- 

 G. M. Dawson, Messrs. F. Adams, W. Topley (Recorder), 

 and W. Whitaker. 



The International Geological Congress meets at Berlin 

 in September, and this will prevent many Continental 

 geologists from going to Montreal ; Dr. Richthofen, how- 

 ever, will probably be present, and will communicate a 

 paper on some comparisons between the geology of China 

 and North America. It is hoped that others may also 

 arrange to come. 



Meeting in the typical Laurentian country, it is onlv to 

 be expected that the Archaean rocks will receive much 

 attention. Amongst the papers sent or promised are the 

 following: — Prof. Bonney, on the Lithological Characters 

 of the Archaean Rocks in Canada and Elsewhere ; Mr. 

 Frank Adams, on the Occurrence of the Norwegian 

 " Apatitbringer" in Canada, with a few Notes on the 

 Microscopic Characters of some Laurentian Amphibo- 

 lites ; Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, on the Eozoic Rocks of North 

 America. 



On Palaeozoic Geology and Palaeontology generally the 

 following are expected : — L. VV. Baily, on the Acadian 

 Basin in American Geology ; E. W. Claypolc, the < tldest 

 Known Vertebrates — an Account of some Fossils recently 

 discovered in the Silurian Rocks of Pennsylvania : Mr. 

 J. H. Panton, of Winnipeg, Geological Gleanings from 

 the Outcrops of Silurian Strata in the Red River Valley, 

 Manitoba. 



Principal Dawson will give a Comparison of the Palaeo- 

 zoic Floras of North America and Europe, whilst Mr, j. 

 S Gardner will deal with the same subject as regards the 

 ( 'retacco-Tertiary Floras. 



Other papers are : — G. F. Matthews, on the Geological 

 Age of the Acadian Fauna, and on the Primitive Cono- 

 coryphean ; E. Wethered, the Structure of English and 

 American Coals. 



After the Azoic and Palaeozoic rocks of Canada, the 

 Drift Deposits are of great interest. The following papers 

 bear on this subject :— Mr. A. R. Selwyn, on a Theory of 

 Ice Action in the Formation of Lake Basins and in the 

 Distribution of Boulders in Northern Latitudes ; the 

 Rev. E. Hill, on Theories of Glaciation ; F. Drew, on the 

 Thickness of Ice in the Himalayan Valleys during the 

 Glacial Period. 



Amongst other papers of interest are :— Prof. Hull, on 

 the Geology of Palestine, giving an account of his recent 

 explorations ; Prof. T. R. Jones, on the Geology of South 

 Africa ; W. Whitaker, on the Economic Value of Geolo- 

 gical Maps, with especial reference to water-supply, 

 illustrated by the Survey Maps of the Chalk area in 

 England. 



Papers are also promised by Mr. Arch. Geikie, Dr. G. 

 M. Dawson, Prof. V. Ball, Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, Dr. 

 C. Le Neve Foster, W. Carruthers, H. Bauerman, E. 

 ( iilpin of Halifax, N.S., and others. 



( (ther papers will be sent by American and Canadian 

 geologists, particulars of which have not yet been received. 

 Prof. James D. Dana and Dr. James Hall, if not present 

 in person, will probably send one or more communi- 

 1 ations. 



Several Reports will be submitted by Committees, or by 

 persons appointed for this purpose at' the last meeting of 

 the Association (the name mentioned is that of theSecretary 

 to the Committee, or the Reporter) :— Prof. f. Milne, Earth- 

 quakes in Japan; W. Cash, Fossil Plants of Halifax; 

 G. R. Vine, British Fossil Polyzoa ; Dr. H. W. Crosske) . 

 Erratic Blocks of England, Wales, and Ireland; Prof. 

 T. R. Jones, Fossil Phyllopoda of the Palaeozoic Rocks ; 

 C. E. De Ranee, Underground Waters: J. W. Davis, 

 Raygill Fissure, Yorkshire ; C. E. De Ranee and W. 

 Topley, Erosion of Sea-Coasts of England and Wales ; 

 F. Drew and Prof. A. H. Green, the Present State of 

 Knowledge respecting the Interior of the Earth ; W. 

 Whitaker, Geological Record : W. Topley, National Geo- 



logical Surveys ; and Progress of the International Geo- 

 logical Map of Europe. 



With several sections of the Association the work is 

 mainly confined to the meeting room. Geologists are 

 more fortunate, their most pleasant memories of these 

 meetings are with the hills, rocks, and streams of the 

 district. At and near Montreal there is much to be seen. 

 Mount Royal rises steeply behind the city, a mass of 

 eruptive rock intruded through the Silurian beds. From 

 the summit a grand view is obtained over the Laurentian 

 Mountain on the north, and over the hills and rolling 

 plains of Silurian rocks on the south and east. From 

 among-t these latter rise the more sharply defined trap 

 hills of Montarville, Beloil, and Rougemon't. The excur- 

 sions are of especial geological interest. Niagara is only 

 a short run of 300 miles away ; the Rocky Mountains 

 will be reached by a special train over the Canadian and 

 Pacific Railway. 



The Local Committee at Montreal is preparing a guide- 

 book to the city and neighbourhood, which will contain 

 a geological map. A general Geological Guide to the 

 Dominion will be prepared by the Geological Survey of 

 Canada. 



PRIMARY EDUCATION AT THE HEALTH 

 EXHIBITION 

 "THE recent opening of the City and Guilds of London 

 -^ Institute by the Prince of Wales, and the simul- 

 taneous issue of a special catalogue of the educational 

 exhibits at the Health Exhibition, which are for the most 

 part housed in that Institute, has been the means of drawing 

 much public attention to this most interesting and valuable 

 collection, and renders some account of it opportune. It is 

 probably not too much to say that no such elaborate and ex- 

 tensive collection of educational appliances, methods, and 

 results, has ever been brought together before, notwith- 

 standing the fact that, the primary object of the whole Ex- 

 hibition being to elucidate the conditions of health, it was 

 considered expedient to attach to the principal display 

 mainly such objects and appliances as had a special rela- 

 tion to healthful school life. This limitation, however, 

 has been interpreted somewhat liberally, and the result is 

 a collection in which can be studied and compared the 

 educational systems in primary, general, and technical 

 education as practised in the British Islands, France, and 

 Belgium, and to a less extent in Germany, Sweden, 

 Switzerland, the United Statei, and Canada. It is 

 earnestly to be hoped that such an opportunity for com- 

 paring their own systems, practice, and results with those 

 of others, whether English or foreign, will not be allowed 

 10 pass by our schoolmasters and schoolmistresses, as 

 well as by members of School Boards, and indeed by all 

 interested in this vast subject. We hear with pleasure 

 that it is intended to organise visits there by parties of 

 London masters and mistresses, and we hope that arrange- 

 ments will be made enabling provincial educationalists 

 to avail themselves of the advantages offered by this 

 temporary display at South Kensington, which will not be 

 prolonged beyond the middle of October. 



Two foreign Governments, those of France and Bel- 

 gium, have organised elaborate collective exhibitions, 

 showing the methods and results both of primary and 

 secondary education in those countries, and the catalogue 

 of the French exhibit is prefaced by ten closely printed 

 pages containing an admirable summary of the present 

 position of education in France, which has of late made 

 most rapid advances. The money which neither the 

 Liberals of the Restoration, nor those of the Monarchy of 

 July, nor the Corps Legislatij 'of the Second Empire, had 

 been able or willing to find for popular education, the 

 Parliament of the Third Republic, definitely consolidated 

 in 1.S77, has not feared to demand of the State, notwith- 

 standing the pressure of taves resulting from the foreign 



