2 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



By a singular coincidence, Mr. Theobald's Paper, and the first 

 news of the, great Naini Tal landslip, reached me at the same time 

 when journeying to India in September, 1880. My first formed 

 intention was, provided permission were obtained, to start for 

 Naini Tal immediately on reaching Bombay, as I concluded that 

 the phenomena exhibited by this landslip could not fail to throw 

 light upon the disputed • question as to the origin of the lake. 

 I found, however, that a committee had been appointed by the 

 Government to report upon the disaster, but that the services of a 

 geologist were not considered necessary to take part in the deli- 

 berations.^ In due time this committee published a report which, 

 while dealing with the lamentable destruction of life and pro- 

 perty resulting from the landslip, did not throw much light on its 

 cause. Fortunately, however, the appearances presented have been 

 described by a geologist, Mr. R. D. Oldham,^ who happened to 

 be in the neighbourhood at the time. Besides giving a good 

 description of the mode of operation of the agencies which cul- 

 minate in such landslips, he adds some remarks of considerable 

 interest which bear upon my view of the causes to which the lakes 

 at Naini Tal and its neighbourhood owe their origin. • 



In spite of repeated friendly invitations by Mr. Theobald, that 

 I should reply to his Paper, I deferred doing so while still any 

 hope remained of my being able to make a further and more 

 complete examination of the locality. And now, when all such 

 hope is gone, I feel I am not in a position to add much to what 

 has been already published ; at the same time I have, since I 

 visited Naini Tal, examined numerous undoubtedly glaciated 

 lakes in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Switzerland, and I there- 

 fore feel increased confidence in suggesting what I believe to be 

 the legitimate deductions to be drawn from the whole array of 

 observed and recorded phenomena. 



1 By a strange coincidence, the author of an article on landslips, in Nature, dated 

 September 30, and which was inspired by the telegraphic tidings of the landslip, 

 wrote as follows in reference to the choice of safe ground for building: — "This is 

 mainly a geological question, but it is evidently one of the utmost social importance. 

 Among the staff of the Geological Survey of India there is no doubt an officer whose 

 services could be made available to examine and report upon the structure of the 

 ground with reference to this question." 



- Kecords of the Geological Survey of India, vol. xiii., p. 277. 



