Reports and Proceedings— Geological Society of London. 279 



coni unction, according to his scheme, of submergence with severe 

 conditions of climate (pp. 312-3, 324-5, etc.). So far as could be 

 seen, submergence, by diminishing the extent of high land and more 

 freely admitting the ocean-currents, must have been favourable to 

 milder climatal conditions, as Lord Kelvin, in his paper on " Oreo- 

 logical Climate," had shown. Mr. Bell concluded by expressmg his 

 high respect for Dr. Geikie, though obliged on these points to difler 

 from him. A discussion followed. 



Geological Society of London. 



I.— April 3rd, 1895.— Dr. Henry Woodward, F.E.S., President, 

 in the Chair. The following communications were read : — 



1. "Physical Features and Geology of Mauritius." By Major 

 H. de Haga Haig, K.E., F.G.S. _ 



The greater part of the surface of Mauritius is composed ot a 

 volcanic breccia ; here and there lava-streams occur in the sections 

 exposed in ravines, and sometimes on the surface. The commonest 

 lavas are dolerites. 



In at least two places sedimentary rocks occur at considerable 

 elevations; in the Black River Mountains at a height of about 

 1200 feet a clay-slate is found, and near Midlands in the Grand 

 Port group of mountains a chloritic schist is found at an elevation 

 of about 1700 feet, forming the hill of La Selle ; the schist is much 

 contorted, but seems to have a general dip to the south or south-east. 



Evidence of recent elevation of the island is furnished by masses 

 of coral-reef and beach coral-rock standing at heights of 40 feet 

 above sea-level in the south, 12 feet in the north, and 7 feet on the 

 islands situated on the bank extending to the north-east. 



The author gives full details of the physical geography ot the 

 island, including the nature and composition of the mountain-ranges, 

 the depth of the ravines, the occurrence of caverns in the lavas, and 

 the character of the coral-reef surrounding the island. Information 

 is furnished concerning the neighbouring islands, and reterence 

 made to the possible former existence of an extensive tract ot land 

 at no great distance from Mauritius. 



2 ''On a Comparison of the Permian Fresh-water Lamelli- 

 branchiata from Russia with those from the Karoo Formation 

 of Africa." By Dr. Wladimir Amalitsky, Professor of Geology in 

 Warsaw University. (Communicated by Dr. H. Woodward, l.R.b., 



Pres. Geo). Soc.) . ^ • 3 •, 



The fresh-water shells from the Russian Permian deposits 

 belonoino- to the genus FalcBomutela are also known from the 

 Karoo" Beds of South and Central Africa, as pointed out by the 

 author in 1892. He has recently had the opportunity of studying 

 the actual specimens from the Karoo Beds, and finds in thein 

 species of the groups Falceomutela Inostranzewi, P. Keijserlmgi, 

 r. Verneuilii, and P. Murchisoni ; also of a new genus, the lorms ot 

 which he had previously referred to Naiadites, Dawson. All these 

 groups are found also in Russia, and he gives a list of species tound 



