vm PKOCEEDINGS, MAY. 



OPIiaONS OF A VISITOR. 



Mr. Price-Williams expressed the deep interest he had felt in the 

 papers read that evening. He was of opinion that the suggestion 

 respecting the recording of the earth's changes and the relative levels of 

 the earth and sea should be given effect to in all parts. It was highly 

 gratifying to find to what extent the scientific efforts were carried in 

 this colony. 



THE iron blow AT THE LINDA GOLDFIFLD 



Mr. R. M. Johnston read a paper on this subject, in which he set 

 forth that the differences of opinion as between himself and Mr, Thureau, 

 fortunately, were not of a serious nature, and, according to Mr. Thureau's 

 recent explanation, he perceived they were more due to the confused 

 way in which descriptive terms were employed than to any real 

 differences of opinion. The question between them had been altogether 

 misconceived by Mr. Thureau. If Mr. Thureau had discussed the Iron 

 Blow question without confusing these two fundamental considerations 

 it would have placed the issues between them in a very small compass. 

 In the course of the paper he contended that the fissure at the Linda was 

 originally caused by the same dynamic forces which caused the tilting, 

 folding, and metamorphoses of the crystalline rocks, and that these 

 mighty effects were primarily caused by the gravitation of the outer crust 

 towards the shrinking and cooling central mass of the earth. Mr. 

 Thureau's reply firmly established his opinion " That the four principal 

 elements — iron, barytes, sulphur, and gold — were originally precipitated 

 from solution," That both decomposition and recomposition in mineral 

 veins are among the most common of all occurrences and cannot 

 reasonably be disputed ; and finally that true mud volcanoes differ 

 widely in characteristics from the phenomena associated with the 

 Linda Iron Blow, and neither in their mode of appearance, nor in their 

 characteristic contents, show the slightest correspondence with the 

 metalliferous fissure lodes of the Linda district. Further discussion 

 was postponed till the June meeting. 



COMPLIMENTARY. 



Votes of thanks to the writers of papers, closed the proceedings. 



