Dee. 9, 1869 | 
nation often shows that though the terrace may run on, the rock 
of which it consists is formed of different sheets, which, though 
lying on the same plane, have proceeded from different 
vents. Mr. Geikie then pointed out the structure of some 
of the volcanic plateaux of central France as illustrative of 
those features of the Scottish plateaux to which he had re- 
ferred. (2) While the western half of the Scottish carboni- 
ferous area is characterised by the wide extent of its volcanic 
plateaux, the eastern half is as strikingly distinguished by the 
abundance of its points of local eruption, Traces of these in- 
dependent but closely segregated vents are scattered over almost 
the whole extent of Fife and the Lothians, They belong as a 
whole to the lower division of the carboniferous formation. The 
evidence by which their position can now be ascertained consists 
of masses of stratified tuff, frequently associated with contem- 
poraneous outflows of melaphyre. The number of the vents in 
some parts of the country must have been very great. During 
the deposition of the lower carboniferous rocks, the area of Lin- 
lithgowshire and great part of Fife and East Lothian was dotted 
over with little volcanoes, each throwing up its cone of ash, or 
here and there emitting also a short current of lava. In some 
places the vents were so closely placed together, that their ejec- 
tions formed in the end one long volcanic bank, such as the 
Garlton Hills and the range of heights between Bathgate and 
Linlithgow. The vents were singularly local in their develop- 
ment. Thus, while they continued in activity throughout Lin- 
lithgowshire and Fife, as well as in Haddingtonshire, the inter- 
vening area of Edinburghshire remained almost without them, 
Their long continuance in the districts where they had once 
broken out is remarkable. During the time represented by the 
deposition of many hundred feet of strata, the area of Linlith- 
gowshire continued to be the theatre of a wonderful volcanic ac- 
tivity, new cones breaking out as the old ones were washed down. 
Yet the county of Edinburgh, onlya few miles to the east, remained 
during that long period almost wholly unaffected by any volcanic 
action. Reference wasthen madeatsome length tothe extinct volca- 
noes of Auvergne and the Eifel, and it was shown that in their form 
and distribution, their small size, the nature of their products, and 
the protracted period during which they had been in activity, 
they enable us to realise vividly what was the condition of a 
great part of central Scotland during the earlier ages of the car- 
boniferous period. The concluding portion of the paper dwelt 
upon the denudation of the volcanic rocks of Auvergne and of 
Scotland. Mr. Scrope had shown conclusively that the wide 
and deep valleys of the Loire, the Dordogne, and other streams 
of central France had been carved out of volcanic rocks and 
fresh-water strata by subaérial erosion alone. The form and 
structure of these valleys were compared with those of valleys 
which have been excavated out of volcanic rocks in Scotland, 
and it was argued that the similarity of result was in all proba- 
bility due to a similarity of cause. In the Scottish valleys the 
influence of ice, and perhaps, in some cases, also of the sea, 
had come into play to augment or modify that of the subaérial 
forces. Yet there was every reason to believe that in Scotland, 
as in France, the main share of the work had been done by 
rains, frosts, and streams. 
DUBLIN 
Royal Irish Academy, November 30.—The Earl of Dun- 
raven, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. The minutes of the former 
meeting, having been read and approved of, were signed. The 
chairman briefly expressed his regret and that of the Academy 
at the resignation of their former president, Lord Talbot de 
Malahide, and stated that he was ready to receive the names of 
any candidates for the vacant office. The Rev. Dr. Lloyd, F.R.S., 
Provost of Trinity College, proposed that Professor Jellett should 
be elected president. Among all the members of the Academy 
he knew of none save one (Rev. Dr. Salmon, F.R.S.), who, in 
his opinion, from his great scientific attainments, was so eligible 
for this important post; and his friend Dr. Salmon had announced 
his determination to withdraw his claims in favour of Mr. Jellett’s. 
Mr. Jellett was distinguished not only for his knowledge of the 
higher branches of mathematics, but also for his knowledge of 
their application, a combination not often to be met with in the 
same individual. He felt sure that Mr. Jellett’s presidency would 
be as distinguished as that of any of his predecessors. Dr. Stokes, 
F.R.S. (in the absence of the Rey. Dr. Russell, President of 
the Royal College of Maynooth), seconded Mr. Jellett’s nomina- 
tion. He reminded the Academy of the importance of having 
for its president one who was well versed in its affairs, and Mr. 
Jellett, when secretary of the council of the Academy, had acquired 
NATURE 
7 
On 
this knowledge. He would not refer to Mr. Jellett’s. position as 
a man of science, but he would remind that large and influential 
section of the Academy, the antiquaries, how much assistance 
they could have, and were constantly having, from science. 
Archzology was intimately connected with the natural sciences. 
Even the laws relating to the flow and ebb of the tides were 
shown by Professor Haughton to be thus connected, for he had 
calculated the hour of low tide in the Bay of Dublin on the day 
of the battle of Clontarf, and his hour absolutely coincides with 
that named in the written record as translated by the late lamented 
Dr. Todd. Sir William Wilde said that the provost had spoken 
of Mr. Jellett’s position as a man of science, and Dr. Stokes 
had spoken of his general attainments and knowledge of the 
Academy’s affairs; but he wished to speak of him as a colleague 
with whom he had been associated for many years, and as an 
honest, straightforward man, who, irrespective of all party feel- 
ing, did what he considered right without fear, prejudice, or 
favour. The Academy had had “antiquarian” presidents ; it was 
now time to have one scientific president, and so win back many 
scientific wanderers. He felt sure Mr. Jellett would never 
forget the interests of the antiquarian party in the Academy, and 
he looked forward to a bright career for the Academy under 
Professor Jellett. Dr. Stewart, as a very old member of the 
Academy, supported Mr. Jellett’s claims. There being no other 
candidate proposed, the ballot was opened and scrutineers 
appointed. The chairman announced that there appeared, for 
Professor Jellett, 55 votes; for Sir R. Kane, 1. He therefore 
declared Mr. Jellett duly elected as president. The chairman 
then, with a few graceful remarks, in which he congratulated the 
Academy on its choice, resigned the chair to the new president.— 
Sir W. Wilde exhibited a number of antiquities found in the 
counties of Dublin, Londonderry, and Queen’s County, among 
which were a spirally twisted gold torque, either used as a finger 
ring or a head ornament, three bronze mammillary brooches, some 
fragments of bronze rings and bracelets, and a semicircular brooch 
of beautiful decoration and unique form. The remainder of the 
collection was chiefly of iron, and consisted of three very fine 
swords with hilts. Sir William also exhibited a collection of 
antiquities and casts from North and South America. —Professor 
Apjohn, M.D., read a paper ‘*On a new step in the analysis of 
sugar.’ He stated that crude sugar and syrups generally contained 
three varieties of saccharine matter, and in the case of such a 
mixture, the method hitherto in use only accomplished the 
estimation of one of these, that usually known under the name 
of Cane Sugar. The means of obtaining its amount, by the 
optical saccharometer alone, or by Barreswil’s solution, each 
being applied before or after conversion, he then briefly 
explained, pointing out at the same time that neither the 
optical nor the chemical method could give any information in 
relation to the amount of inverted sugar or of grape sugar 
(crystallised glucose) which might happen to be present. This 
problem, however, he thought could be completely solved by 
a combination of the processes adverted to, and this he de- 
monstrated by drawing attention to two equations—the one 
expressing the result of an observation with the saccharometer, 
the other that obtained by operating on the solution of copper 
with the syrup both before and after its inversion, These 
equations involved three unknown quantities, but one of the 
three (the cane) might be determined by a preliminary obserya- 
tion with the saccharometer, and as by this contrivance the 
number of unknown quantities would be reduced to two, the 
problem admitted of a complete solution. This method of 
analysis he had recently applied to several saccharine substances, 
and with satisfactory results. 
Royal Geological Society, November 10. — Dr. W, 
Stokes, F.R.S., in the chair.—Rev. Professor Haughton read a 
paper on the discovery of crystals of Albite in the Dalkley 
granite ; the mineral was found by Mr. W. H. S. Westropp, in 
small crystals mixed with crystals of fluorspar. The existence 
of this felspar in the Leinster granite was predicted by Professor 
Haughton some years since, but it had not been found in a 
separate crystalline form until these specimens were discovered. 
This fact adds a new link to the chain of observations made by 
Professor Haughton relative to the classification and origin of 
granites, and shows the connection between the three great 
granite masses of Mourne, Leinster, and Cornwall, in all of 
which now the presence of albite has been distinctly ascertained. 
—Dr. Macalister exhibited some human and canine bones brought 
by Mr. H. Ormsby, Esq., Geological Survey, India, from the 
celebrated cave Uaimh Fraing, Island of Eigg, the remains of 
