Dr. F. H. Hatch — Witioatersrand Beds, Transvaal. 543 



•"below were representative in time of the Upper Lias of Bredon Hill; 

 it was a case of different sediments brought from different directions 

 — the clays from the north, and the sands from the soutli or south- 

 east, and deposited over the floor of the then sea, mingling and 

 inosculating towards the centre of the area. Similar changes are not 

 uncommon. 



It would be interesting to know who made the statement in the 

 discussion that " the Geological Survey maps were only intended to 

 be lithological charts of use to agriculturalists." I cannot find any- 

 such statement ; but the author in replying to it throws out an idea 

 which could only have been listened to with amazement, that for the 

 use of agriculturalists the superficial deposits should have been 

 mapped first, instead of last ! Imagine Sheet 44 to have been 

 published from the Geological Survey Office in the first instance for 

 the use of the farmers, and only containing the superficial deposits, 

 which do not cover more than a tenth of the whole area. 



I regretted much to read the words of Mr, E. T. Newton, who was 

 in the chair (p. 462), that a map executed fifty years ago natm-ally 

 required "considerable modification." There are districts to which 

 this statement might be applied, especially those where large 

 mining works are being carried on, but I deny that it applies to the 

 region of the Lias and Oolites. If the field work, the ti-acing of 

 boundary-lines between formations or divisions, the insertion o 

 faults and representations of dip, strike, and similar phenomena were 

 accurately done in the first instance, no number of years would 

 necessitate " considerable modification." Mr. Newton is an officer of 

 the Geological Survey and recognised as able and distinguished, and 

 the map Sheet 44 was the work, and is issued under the authority, of 

 the same public department. Did he, before he made the above 

 statement from the chair of the Geological Society, satisfy himself 

 by personal examination that the geological map of the country 

 around Cheltenham does require " considerable modification " ? If he 

 replies in the affirmative I have nothing more to say, but to ascertain 

 the points to which he refers ; if not, I should have supposed that 

 a sense of esprit cle corps would have prevented such a statement. 



I regret very much to have found it necessaiy to make these 

 remarks, but a sense of justice to the memory of a former friend, 

 and of duty towards that important branch of the public service in 

 which I was proud to hold various positions through forty years, 

 have called them forth. 



VI. — Notes on the Witwateksband Beds, Transvaal.' 



By Frederick H. Hatch, Ph.D., F.G.S., M.Inst.C.E., formerly of the Geological 

 Survey of England and Wales. 



IN discussing a paper by Mr. J. S. Curtis - on the Witwatersrand 

 Gold Deposits, Mr. George Denny has raised the point that the 

 slates or shales of the Witwatersrand, which especially characterise, 



^ Abstract of a paper read before the South African Association of Engineers, 

 .Johannesburg. 



- " The Witwatersrand Ore Deposits and their relation to the various Formations." 



