Correspondence.— Miscellaneous. 139 
To the Editor of the GroLocicaAL MAGAZINE. 
Srr,—In Greenough’s Geological Map of England and Wales, a 
‘Burning Well’ near Broseley is noted. Can you tell me if it still 
exists, or something of its history ?—SALop. 
DIsAPPEARANCE OF AN IstAND.—The Indian papers report that 
one of the Maldive Islands, about 100 miles from Cannanore, on 
the Malabar coast, has suddenly disappeared. Such a phenomenon 
is not of unusual occurrence, it is said, several islands having been 
seen by the crews of vessels to sink. The Rajah of Cannanore, it 
appears, is a loser to the extent of three lakhs of rupees by this 
casualty. Some fishermen living on the island went out in the 
morning; on their return in the evening they found that their homes 
were gone. Are these islands altogether formed of Coral? and do 
they fall away by being undermined by the sea?—Enquirer. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
ee 
At the Annual Meeting of the GroLocicaL Socirty or Lonpon, 
on February 17, W. J. Hamilton, Esq., President, in the chair, the 
Secretary read the Reports of the Council, of the Museum and 
Library Committee, and of the Auditors. 
The remarkable increase in the numbers of the Society and the con- 
dition of the Society’s finances were stated to be very satisfactory. 
The President announced the award of the Wollaston Gold Medal to 
Thomas Davidson, F.R.S., &c., for the highly important services he 
has rendered through many years to the Science of Geology by his 
critical and philosophical works on Fossil Brachiopoda; and, in hand- 
ing the medal to that distinguished Paleontologist, he commented on 
the valuable contributions to science furnished by that gentleman to 
the volumes of the Paleontographical Society, remarking that their 
value was much enhanced in consequence of the illustrations having 
been drawn by the author himself. Mr. Davidson, on receiving the 
medal, requested the President to convey his sincere thanks to the 
Council for the great honour they had done him by this award, 
which was the more welcome as it came to him from the hands of 
one who is at the same time the President of both the Geological 
and the Palzontographical Societies. The President then stated 
that the balance of the proceeds of the Wollaston Donation-fund 
had been awarded to J. W. Salter, Esq., F.G.S., &c., in recognition of 
his valuable services in the elucidation of Paleozoic fossils, and to 
assist him in completing his Monograph on British Trilobites, and 
placed it, together with a diploma to that effect, in the hands of the 
eminent recipient. Mr. Salter briefly thanked the Society for this 
testimony of their approbation. 
THE SOUTHERN Counties Association for the Encouragement 
of Agriculture, Arts, Science, Manufactures, and Commerce, 
lately established, will have for the second of its five Departments 
