228 Reports and Proceedings. 



manner, the leading features of interest observed by the Club in the 

 excursions made during the past year, and congratulated the mem- 

 bers upon the excellent papers which had been contributed, and 

 which will shortl}'- be published in the transactions. As the Club has 

 undertaken to bring out some expensive illustrated papers of much 

 interest, he recommended an increase of the annual subscription to 

 15s. The Secretary's account having been duly passed, the President 

 gave up the chair to the Eev. W. S. Symonds. 



Dr. Wright then proposed the re-election of Sir W. Guise, which 

 was seconded by Major-General Younghusband, and carried unani- 

 mously. 



The President, having again taken the chair, paid a high compli- 

 ment to Dr. Paine, the Hon. Sec, who was also unanimously re- 

 elected. Several members were proposed, and the Club is now full. 



The suggestion of the President, to raise the subscription, was 

 adopted ; and the following places of meeting were arranged for 

 the year -.—Stroud, May 16th ; May Hill, June 13th ; Bath, July 

 18th ; Evesham, August 15th ; Malvern, September 12th. 



At four o'clock dinner was served in the fine old Hall. Those 

 present were Sir W. and Lady Guise, the Misses Guise, the Eevs. 

 W. S. Symonds, Lee Warner, Atwood, and Smithe, Major-General 

 Younghusband; Major Barnard; Drs. Wright, Washbourn and Wilson; 

 Messrs. P. B. Parnell, Etheridge, Nash, Middleton, Vowell, Ball, 

 Wilton, Withered, Mitchell, Fisher, Silree, Lucy, Modin, and Dr. 

 Paine. 



Mr. Etheridge read a Paper " On the Physical Structure of the 

 Northern part of the Bristol Coal Basin, chiefly having reference to 

 the Iron Ores of the Tortworth area." 



He referred to the enormous trade in coal and iron, which, in 

 1864, according to Mr. Eobert Hunt, of the former amounted to 

 92,787,873 tons, the value of which at the pit's mouth is 

 £23,197,968 ; of the latter 10,064,890 tons, having a recognized 

 value of £3,367,144, in the raw state, or as mineral ore ; but when 

 converted into pig-iron 4,767,951 tons, at the value of £11,919,877. 

 After having given an extremely interesting sketch of the history of 

 iron working in the county, from the earliest times of which there 

 is any record, and described the general physical features of the 

 district where it is found, and the geological position and 

 mode of occurrence of the ores, he concluded with the following 

 abstract of the generally received theories of the origin of iron- 

 stone veins : — First, the contemporaneous formation of mineral veins 

 with the rocks which enclose them ; secondly, the filling in of 

 fissures found in rocks by the sublimation of substances, driven by 

 heat from beneath upwards ; and thirdly, the filling in of fissures in 

 rocks by chemical deposits, from substances held in solution in the 

 fissures, and by infiltration ; such accumulations and deposits being, 

 perhaps, greatly due to electro-chemical agency. It is to this latter 

 in the main, and at the age mentioned, that he believed the iron- 

 lodes and ores of the Tortworth district to have accumulated. 



A most enthusiastic vote of thanks was passed to Sir W. and Lady 

 Guise for their kind and hospitable reception. — ^W. C. L. - 



