Reports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 327 



The animal is well represented by both the intaglio and relievo 

 impressions : these, however, only show its dorsal aspect. A de- 

 scription of the specimen is given, and it is referred to a new species. 

 Dr. Peach is of opinion that, like the recent scorpions, the ancient 

 species visited the sea-shore in search of the eggs of invertebrates 

 left bare by the tides, and the association of this new scorpion 

 with king-crabs at Sparth Bottoms is in favour of this view. The 

 specimen has been presented to the Manchester Museum. 



2. " The Genesis of the Gold Deposits of Barkerville (British 

 Columbia) and the vicinity." By Austin J. E. Atkin, Esq. (Com- 

 municated by the Secretary.) 



The gold-bearing area of Cariboo (British Columbia) is roughly 

 confined within a radius of 20 miles of Barkerville, to the band of 

 varied crystalline rocks known as the Cariboo Schists, generally 

 assigned to the Lower Palaeozoic group. The veins follow the strike 

 but not the dip of the rocks, the gangue is similar to that associated 

 with the nuggets in the placers, and the reefs show very little or 

 no oxidized ore. While all the reefs carry gold in greater or less 

 quantities, none have been found rich enough to account for the 

 placer-gold. It is the opinion of the author that the placer-gold 

 has probably been derived from the enriched outcrops of the veins 

 which once existed above water-level. Such enrichment is due to 

 two causes : firstly, the leaching-out of pyrites leaving the less 

 soluble gold in lighter, honeycombed quartz ; and, secondly, to actual 

 enrichment by precipitation. This may be due to the solubility of 

 gold in solutions of ferric sulphate, derived from the decomposition 

 of the pyrites. While the enriched zone was being formed, the 

 weathering of the surface kept removing the leached outcrop, and 

 constantly exposing fresh surfaces to atmospheric influences. To 

 the weathering of these outcrops the rich placers are attributed. 

 Some of the nuggets in the latter show no signs of attrition, as 

 though they had been carried to their present position, enclosed in 

 a soluble matrix which was afterwards removed. The denudation 

 of the reefs and the deposition of gold in the gravels appear to have 

 taken place in Tertiary times. 



II.— May 11th, 1904.— Horace B. Woodward, Esq., F.E.S., Vice- 

 President, in the Chair. 



The Chairman referred in feeling terms to the grievous loss sus- 

 tained by the Society in the death of Sir Clement Le Neve Foster, 

 r.E.S., Professor of Mining at the Eoyal College of Science. He 

 was elected a Fellow in 1863, and as early as 1865 he communicated 

 to this Society, conjointly with William Topley, the now classic 

 paper on the Medway Gravels and the Denudation of the Weald — 

 a paper which had largely influenced the views of geologists on 

 the physiography of the South-East of England. 



The Chairman announced that the Council had resolved to award 

 the proceeds of the Daniel-Pidgeon Fund for 1904: to Mr. Linsdall 

 Eichardson, F.G.S., of Cheltenham. 



