Proceedings. XX1 
tioned, however, whether it was not mistaken for decayed vegetable 
matter, which often resembles peat, but is quite distinct from it. 
Mr. Hodgkinson alluded to the discovery of the chalk formation 
by the writer, he was, however, of opinion that the geological for- 
mation of the district would not bear out the existence of chalk in 
those localities. 
The chairman stated that chalk and other salts, when held in 
solution, were frequently deposited on evaporation ; and that rich 
crops of natural crystals were frequently found in caverns. Some- 
thing of this kind was mentioned in the paper. 
Mr. Blandowski believed that the writer did not furnish sufficient 
evidence in proof of his statements concerning the chalk formation 
Dr. Maund suggested that the difference of view might arise 
from the change by natural causes of limestone, the oxide of cal- 
cium, into chalk, the carbonate of lime. The lime might have 
been held in solution as a bicarbonate, and the other equivalent of 
carbonic acid have been taken up from the air. 
Mr. Blandowski disagreed with the views of Dr. Maund, andsaid 
that although the chemical composition of lime and chalk is similar, 
the term chalk could not be applied to all decomposed limestone, 
and they were different in a geological point of view. 
Clement Hodgkinson, Esq., read a paper “On the favourable geo- 
logical and chemical nature on the principal rocks and soils of Vic- 
toria, in reference to the production of ordinary cereals and wine.” 
Mr. Hodgkinson, after making some general allusions to the geolo- 
gical configuration and soils of the other Australian colonies, arrived 
at the conclusion that soil in general derived from volcanic rocks in 
Australia was more fertile than that derived from aqueous or plu- 
tonic rocks. ‘The writer gave an analysis of soil derived from dis- 
integrated basalt near Melbourne. He ‘referred to the important 
fact, that, near Sydney, there was some land on trap dykes which 
was under culture and cropped during the past half century, with- 
out manuring or fallowing, while its fertility remained undiminished. 
Mr. Hodgkinson attributed this to the intensity of the disintegrat- 
ing action that has been maintained in the soil, and which action, 
in his opinion, had set free during the period that the land had been 
cultivated as large a quantity,of alkalies, phosphates, &c., as had been 
consumed by the crops. He maintained that soil of this favourable 
quality occurs in large numbers of isolated patches omong the vol- 
canic rocks of Victoria. Mr. Hodgkinson next explained the im- 
portant influence of the inorganic constituents of the soil of the 
vineyard on the quality of its wine. He demonstrated that the dis- 
integration of clayslate was exceedingly favourable for the production 
of superior wine. He referred to the large quantity of land of this 
description in the basin of the Yarra, at an easy distance from Mel- 
bourne, which he stated to be analogous to that of the celebrated 
vineyards on the schistoze mountains of the Valley of the Rhine. 
