TF. Topley — On the Geological Congress. 567 



Kimineridge. But neither is it admissible or necessary to assume 

 the existence of a gap between the English Upper Kimmeridge and 

 the Portland Sand, seeing that, in my opinion, we need not have 

 the least hesitation about regarding the Portland Sand and Portland 

 Stone, taken together, as the equivalent of the three zones of the 

 French Portlandian. The splitting up of the great divisions into 

 distinct zones will in most cases only possess a local interest ; on 

 the other hand, it seemed to me to be of some importance to adduce 

 the proof that the English and North-German Upper Jurassic 

 formations in general admit of a uniform classification throughout. 

 Finally (on page 556), is given a summary of the results arrived at. 



IV. — The International Geological Congress, Bologna, 1881. 



By Wm. Topley, F.G.S. ; 



of H.M. Geological Survey of England and Wales ; 



Secretary of the English Committee on Geological Maps ; and one of the Secretaries 



of the Congress. 



THE International Geological Congress had its origin at Philadel- 

 phia in 1876, when, largely by the influence of Prof. Jas. Hall 

 and Dr. Sterry Hunt, arrangements were made for a meeting of the 

 Congress at Paris. This was held during the months of August and 

 September, 1878, as one of a great series of International Congresses, 

 embracing all branches of Science and the technical applications of 

 the same. The full reports of these meetings are contained in 32 

 8vo. volumes; that on Geology forming No. 21 of the Series. In 

 the Geological Congress papers were read and discussed on numerous 

 subjects connected with the science. In view of the Second Congress, 

 fixed for 1881 at Bologna, certain geologists were nominated as 

 Presidents of the Committees in various countries, with instructions 

 to form such Committees as they might think best, and to prepare 

 Eeports on the subjects requii'ing attention. These questions are 

 classed in three divisions : — 1. The Unification of Geological Nomen- 

 clature. 2. The Unification of Colours, Figures, etc., employed in 

 Geological Maps. 3. Nomenclature of Species. Of the first,. Prof. 

 T. McK. Hughes is President for England. This Committee has 

 been long at work ; it has had several meetings in London, and has 

 discussed and reported upon the signification to be given to numerous 

 terms in common use amongst geologists. But besides this it has 

 done much work, by means of sub-committees, in reporting upon the 

 Classification, Nomenclature, etc., of the various groups of rocks 

 hitherto spoken of as formations." In this respect the work of the 

 English Committee is much in advance of that of other countries. 



The Second English Committee, that on Geological Maps, has 

 Prof. A. C. Ramsay for its President. Several meetings were held 

 in London during the past summer, and the general results of the 

 work were submitted to the Geological Section of the British 

 Association at York. 



Upon the third subject (Nomenclature of Species) nothing has 

 been done in England. 



The meetinji; of the Second Congress commenced at Bologna on 



