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gress of astronomy and scientific topography. We owe, under this 

 head, considerable obligation to the exertions of our own distin- 

 guished member Mr. Colebrooke, whose activity and varied informa- 

 tion have enabled him to contribute so much, to several departments 

 of literature and science in connexion with the East. 



The Asiatic Society, also, has recently taken up the extension of 

 geological inquiry with much interest and zeal; and has opened 

 an intercourse with India upon this subject, through Sir Alexander 

 Johnstone, the chairman of their committee of foreign correspon- 

 dence, from whence the best results may be expected. The at- 

 tention of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta has of late been particu- 

 larly devoted to this department of natural science ; and we have, in 

 the different Settlements, several friends and fellows of this Society, 

 who have shown their desire to promote our views. 



From Central India, Captain James Franklin has given us a Me- 

 moir on the vicinity of Bundelcund, illustrated with an excellent 

 geological map and sections. 



The Papers of Dr. Buckland and Mr. Gift, connected with the 

 splendid collection of fossil remains from the Burmese territory, 

 with which our Museum has lately been enriched, have been pub- 

 lished in the last part of the Transactions : and the Council has 

 endeavoured to diffuse the information afforded by this collection, 

 by causing models of several of the fossils to be prepared, and distri- 

 buted to some of the principal museums of Natural History. The 

 Memoir of Dr. Buckland on the specimens from Ava, has shown the 

 probability that the representatives of no fewer than eight of our 

 formations* exist in that region ; and I shall presently refer to the 

 interesting zoological results obtained from this splendid acquisition. 



The Society has received from the Admiralty, in the course of 

 the present session, a small collection of specimens, from the site 

 of the intended settlement in the vicinity of Swan River, on the 

 west coast of Australia ; and Captain Stirling, before his departure 

 from England, in the capacity of its Governor, was good enough 

 to place in my hands some brief notes relating to them, which I 

 shall take an early opportunity of laying before the Society. From 

 the zeal expressed by that distinguished officer, we may regard this 

 contribution, as an earnest of what may be expected hereafter from 

 the colony under his superintendence : and having already received 

 from the eastern shores of Australia enough to prove the resem- 

 blance of the rocks to ours, and even to point out the relative posi- 

 tion and structure of the formations on some points of the coast, we 

 may with reason expect the solution of some of the great questions 

 respecting that region, which still are undetermined. It is remark- 

 able, for example, that no traces have yet been descried, of any ac- 

 tive volcano along the whole circuit of those shores ; although the 

 latitudes nearer to the Equator, and under nearly the same meri- 



* 1. Alluvium. 2. Diluvium. 3. Freshwater Marl. 4. London Clay 

 and Calcaire-grossier. 5. Plastic Clay. 6. Transition limestone. 7- Grau- 

 wacke. 8. Primitive Rocks ; — with indications also of the New-red-sand- 

 stone and Magncsian limestone. 



