142 report — 1865. 



festly as typically meteorites as those principally composed of oxides, and must have 

 originated in the same cosmical process. Metamorphosis alone, it is evident, could 

 not have converted meteorites devoid of oxygen into those which consist chiefly of 

 oxides, though a process of reduction resulting from the same cause, and going on 

 at the same time, might have converted the latter class into bodies resembling the 

 former. But the two groups — or rather the extreme terms of the series of Meteoric 

 Rocks — differ so greatly in their chemical composition, that the oxidation of the 

 unoxidated group would not result in the production of the oxidated, nor would 

 the reduction of the latter have produced the former. The meteoric irons must 

 have originated either from the condensation of vapour in which oxygen was not 

 present, or under conditions in which its activity was more or less controled. It 

 is highly probable, however, that the most perfectly stony meteorites, those most 

 nearly resembling Volcanic Rocks, and in which the smallest amount of metallic iron 

 occurs, have resulted from a combined process of metamorphosis and oxidation. All 

 this is perfectly consistent with my inference recently advanced, that the production 

 of terrestrial hypogene rocks " would be one of the final results of the Earth's for- 

 mation by the coalescence of meteoritic masses;" an inference which is I believe 

 original, and the announcement of which was made previously to Mr. Sorby's dis- 

 covery that some fallen meteorites have already undergone metamorphic action. 



Report on Dredging the Coast of Aberdeenshire. 

 By the Rev. Walter Gregor, and Robert Dawson. 



The Committee appointed by the British Association for the Advancement 

 of Science, for dredging the coast of Aberdeenshire, having engaged a smack 

 belonging to Banff, left that port on Tuesday, the 4th of July. The voyage 

 was continued till they found themselves off Gixdleness, the southern point ox 

 the Aberdeenshire coast. On Wednesday evening the distance from land was 

 about forty miles, and the depth of water was thirty-eight fathoms, with a bot- 

 tom of shingle and broken shells. The vessel was on the bank known as " The 

 Long Forties." The dredgings from this spot yielded no Arctic fossil shells, 

 although they were found in abundance on a smaller bank, which lies nearer 

 the shore, and at a distance of from eight to fifteen miles from land. There 

 were, however, brought up, in a decayed state, the four most common littoral 

 species, viz. Littorina rudis, Purpura htpillus, Solen siliqua, and Mytilus 

 edulis, the last being, with one exception, the small shore variety. 



The Committee then sailed in and dredged in depths of forty fathoms with 

 a bottom of sand, forty-eight fathoms with a similar bottom, and fifty-seven 

 fathoms with a bottom of mud, shingle, and the concreted sand-tubes of a 

 species of Sabellaria, without finding any fossil shells. They continued their 

 course N.W. till they sighted the Buchanness Light-House on Thursday 

 evening. On Friday, when about ten miles from land, the dredges were put 

 out in fifty-four fathoms, with a bottom of mud and shells. The vessel was 

 then steered N. by E. for two hours. The dredges were again let down in 

 forty-five fathoms, when fossil shells came up in abundance. During the day 

 there was a thick fog, accompanied by torrents of rain. By evening it was 

 blowing a strong breeze, and the Committee were obliged to make for Peter- 

 head Bay. The weather continued unfavourable till Monday, when the Com- 

 mittee again sailed. It being almost a dead calm, little way was made, and 

 it was late in the afternoon before it was deemed expedient to throw the 

 dredges. About seven miles from land the dredges were let down in forty 

 fathoms, when large quantities of fossil shells came up. During the night 

 the vessel continued her course N. by E. from Buchanness, and by morning 

 (Tuesday, 11th July) was twenty-five miles from land. Here the depth was 



