Correspondence — R. S. Herries — Burning Cliff. 89 



is less familiar and a paper may suffer harm from unstudied remarks. 

 Indeed, the value of the Quarterly Journal may be lessened by the 

 insertion of such criticisms, which the Editor can hardly in fairness 

 eliminate. 



My suggestion is that the publication of the discussions should be 

 limited to the Proceedings. The papers published in the Journal, 

 usually the result of years of work, would not then suffer by juxta- 

 position with remarks composed at a few minutes' notice, and the 

 Proceedings would have a more lasting value. Personally, I should 

 like to see their interest and value still further increased (and the 

 bulk of the Journal diminished) by the inclusion in the Proceedings 

 of the President's address, the Report of the Council, etc. 



Chakles DAvrsoN. 



16, Manor Road, Edguaston, Birmingham. 



THE PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Sir, — My attention has been called to an error in the printed report 

 of an address I delivered to the Geologists' Association last February 

 on " The Centenary of the Geological Society ", which I shall be glad 

 if you will allow me to correct. On p. 369 of the Proceedings of 

 the Geologists' Association, vol. xx, the statement occurs: "Since 

 Forbes's day no President has been elected under 50, with the 

 exception of Dr. Marr, who was 47." This should read as follows: 

 " Since Forbes's day no President has been elected under 40, and 

 during the last twenty years none under 50, with the exception of 

 Dr. Marr, who was 47." The mistake arose through a line being 

 dropped in transcribing my notes, and it escaped attention while 

 passing through the pi-ess. As a matter of fact, there were seven 

 Presidents of the Society under 50 between Forbes and Dr. Marr, viz., 

 Hamilton (first term), Sharpe, Ramsay, Smyth, Huxley, the Duke of 

 Argyll, and Professor Judd. "While on this subject I may note that 

 the oldest President was Leonard Horner, who when elected for his 

 second term was 75. 



Perhaps I may also be allowed to remind your readers that the 

 recent election of Sir Archibald Geikie to the Presidential Chair of 

 the Royal Society adds a third name to those I have mentioned on the 

 above-quoted page of my address (Lord Northampton and Huxley) 

 who have served as Presidents both of the Royal and Geological 

 Societies. 



R. S. Heuries. 

 5, New Street Souare, E.G. 



THE BURNING CLIFF NEAR LYME REGIS. 

 Sir, — Now that the spontaneous combustion at the Lyme Regis 

 end of Black Ven has been mentioned in j'our pages, I beg to be 

 allowed to point out a possible source of misconception to visitant 

 geologists as to the extent of the burning. But first let me make it 

 clear that my statement is only hearsay, and may be mere gossip ; for 



