Reviews — Royal Geological Society of Cornwall. 23 



considered solved : but it should be observed that upon Peat-covered 

 uplands in Ireland the " sticks " are often withdrawn from highly- 

 inclined positions, showing, as well as a case cited from the Isle of 

 Man, that they did not always break off and fall flat, perhaps be- 

 cause of want of room. 



In the concluding portion of his paper the author contends that 

 from a decrease of moisture the Peat-mosses have not only ceased to 

 spread, but are rapidly disappearing, the influences of rain and frost 

 conspiring to remove them, and that the decay has first taken place 

 upon the continent to the South, gradually extending itself North- 

 wards to these Islands. However this may be with regard to Scot- 

 laud, it is a conclusion which will hardly apply to the bogs of the 

 Sister Isle, where peat is still admitted to be growing, or cause any 

 fear for the exhaustion of this fuel-supply from natural causes. 

 Nearly all the appearances — such as ragged peat upon hill tops, 

 black bare spots upon the bogs, winding gullies, and "Moss-hags" — 

 pointed to as evidence of the decay and removal of the Peat are to 

 be found there also ; but notwithstanding this, we have heard of 

 Mosses growing so high as to shut out the view of distant objects, 

 and have seen land reclaimed from them, by reason of neglect, fast 

 relapsiag into their original condition. 



The subject of these Peat-mosses is both an important and in- 

 teresting one, to which we are glad to see attention drawn, by those 

 capable of examining it properly. Curious circumstances connected 

 with certain indentations of bones and horns found in some bogs 

 have been brought forward by Professor Jukes and Dr. Carte in the 

 "Irish Quarterly JouTnal of Science" within the last few years, 

 where also will be found a paper by H. O'Hara, Esq., C.E., referring 

 to the economic part of the subject, the industrial bearings of which 

 no doubt deserve more consideration than they receive. 



n. — EoTAL Geological Society of Cornwall. 



THE annual Meeting of this Society was held on the 5th October, 

 at Penzance. 

 The President, Mr, Charles Fox, gave a long and able address, in 

 which he passed in review the principal topics which are now 

 interesting the Geological world. After mentioning the conflicting 

 opinions concerning the Eozoon, he suggested, that this fossil might 

 possibly occur in some of the Cornish serpentines. He then gave an 

 outline of Professor Jukes' ideas, with regard to the Geology of 

 North Devon, and next touched upon the subject of denudation. 

 Upon this question the President seems hardly to have made up his 

 mind, for in one place, he says, that many of our valleys are mainly 

 due to " great lines of faults," and shortly afterwards, apparently 

 recollecting himself, he adds, " Geikie's very able work on the effects 

 of rivers cutting their way across ridges of Silurian and other rocks, 

 should make us cautious in limiting the erosive powers of water." 

 CroU's " ice-cap " theory was next mentioned. Of course the subject 

 of the duration of our coal-fields could not be passed by. Sir 



