Montreal Natural History Society, 175 



Springs of Bath and elsewhere." Eeferring particularly to the Bath 

 waters, Mr. Crickitt adduced reasons from their solid contents to 

 show that the supply must be looked for in strata not deeper than 

 the Carboniferous Limestone ; and came to the conclusion that these 

 springs must be referred to the so-called " Golden valley," near 

 Bitton, about five miles north-west of Bath. This valley trends 

 about north-east, and contains an area of nearly eighteen square 

 miles, which would therefore give an ample supply. In reference 

 to their heat — after combating the theory of a general central heat 

 accounting for all hot springs — he stated that the gaseous contents 

 might be expected to furnish a clue to this point. To prove this, he 

 stated, in the first place, that, contrary to the usually received explana- 

 tion, the large quantity of nitrogen in the water was not the residue 

 of the gas derived from the air in the meteoric water, but was the 

 effect of a chemical decomposition of ammonia derived from decaying 

 vegetable matter. He then endeavoured to show that these waters 

 traversed the Coal-measures, and that coming in contact with coal 

 a union was formed between carburetted hydrogen evolved by the 

 coal and the oxygen free in the water, causing heat ; that also there 

 were evidences that the coal itself was undergoing a slow decom- 

 position, also accompanied with heat ; and that these causes combined 

 would account for the moderate and steady warmth of the Bath 

 springs ; in fact, that the heat was a symptom of molecular motion 

 occurring beneath the earth's surface. 



Mr. Charles Moore, F.Gr.S., in refutation of this theory, considered 

 that the area referred to by Mr. Crickitt was too limited to admit of 

 such a constant and steady flow of hot water. Moreover, that the 

 extensive north and south faults which existed between Bath and 

 Bitton would prevent the supply of water reaching Bath from such 

 a source. He was of opinion, therefore, that the source of the Bath 

 hot waters was very much deeper than Mr. Crickitt supposed. 



H. H. W. 



Montreal Natukal Histoet Society. — At a meeting of this body 

 held on Nov. 26th, 1866, the President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, F.E.S., 

 F.G.S., made a communication on the Mineralogy of crystalline lime- 

 stones, with special reference to those of Laurentian age in Canada. 

 A sketch was given of the geographical range of this formation in 

 Canada, and in parts of the United States, and it was stated that its 

 equivalents had been recognised by foreign geologists in Scotland, 

 Scandinavia and Bavaria. Among its most prevalent rocks in Canada 

 are coarse-grained granite like gneiss, quartzites, dolomites, etc., and 

 crystalline limestones. Some of these limestones are fine-grained 

 and pure ; others again are coarse, and contain foreiga miaerals, 

 such as silicates of lime and magnesia, etc. 



Two specimens were exhibited, one containing pyroxene and 

 apatite, the other serpentine in a matrix of crystalline cai-bonate of 

 lime. It was stated that these grains of foreign minerals were 

 rounded, but still crystalline, and not amorphous. Even where they 

 occur in cavities the crystals are rounded. By some geologists it 



