92 Obituary— Hugh Miller, F. R. 8. E., F. G. S. 



Diest, in the Bolderian white sands, a fossil iferous bed not near to 

 the top of the formation. Last summer the Belgian Geological 

 Society made an excursion to those localities, with a view to observe 

 again the exact position of the fossiliferous bed. The sections were 

 exposed afresh, and all the geologists present, Mr. Lorie, from 

 Utrecht, Mr. Lohest, pupil of Mr. Dewalque, Mr. Vincent, palaeon- 

 tologist, and inany other distinguished Belgian geologists, also the 

 writer of the present letter, came to the same conclusion, namely, 

 that the fossiliferous bed is inclosed in the white sands, exactly as 

 had been stated by Burnout many years ago. 



When my honoured friend, Prof. Dewalque, says that in the 

 eastern direction, near the valley of the Rhine, the white Bolderian 

 sands contain Tongrian fossils, this is only an affirmation, but no 

 evidence in favour of this statement has ever been produced. We 

 should be very pleased to make the acquaintance of any geologist 

 who has been so fortunate as to follow step by step the Bolderian 

 sands from Hasselt to the Rhine ! 



The most recent observations seem to prove, on the contrary, that 

 Dumont made in his Bolderian a great inversion ; his Upper fluvio- 

 marine stage is really the Lower one, and the marine shales are 

 the Upper. The fluviatile Bolderian has been recognized in boring 

 under Campine and Limbourg, and probably it is associated with 

 the Rhenan lignites ; it might take the name of Aquitanian. But 

 this question is not yet perfectly solved. Last month Mr. Van den 

 Broeck came to the conclusion that the Bolderian sands were very 

 close to the Upper Rupelian sands, and that all these sands were 

 united, by repeated alternation, with the Rupelian clay (Argile de 

 Boom) and by no means form a good horizon. But even if the 

 fluviatile Bolderian is not valid and is a bad subdivision, containing 

 sands which can be better classified in three or more different stages, 

 it remains always a good marine Bolderian, a sound type well charac- 

 terized by its palaeontology, and indicated by its stratigraphj r . We 

 think that we can, without any hesitation, maintain the old name 

 of "Bolderian " in its true, original acceptation. 



G. F. Dollfus, F.C.G.S. 



Paris, 10 Janvier, 1896. President de la Soeiete Geologique de France. 





OBITUAEY. 



HUGH MILLER, F.R.S.E., F.G.S. 

 Born July Ioth 1850. Died January Sth, 1S96. 



It is with great regret that we record the death of Mr. Hugh 

 Miller, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., of the Geological Survey of Scotland. 

 Bearing the same name as his distinguished father, the author of 

 " The Testimony of the Rocks," " The Old Red Sandstone," etc. 

 Mr. Hugh Miller inherited a taste for geological pursuits, and joined 

 the Geological Survey in 1874. Labouring at first among the 

 Carboniferous Rocks and Glacial Drifts of Northumberland, he was 

 subsequently transferred to the Geological Survey of Scotland, 

 and worked at the Old Red Sandstone around Cromarty, rendered 



