AKNIVEKSAEY ADDEESS OP THE PRESIDENT. Ixxiil 



ritic schists, quartzites, conglomerates, and grey saccharoid lime- 

 stones ; all these have been hitherto known under the vague name 

 of Verrucauo, but are now referred by Capellini to the Palaeozoic 

 series, and even to strata below the Carboniferous. But as no fossils 

 have hitherto been found in them, it is impossible to decide on their 

 exact position. Other overlying limestones and conglomerates 

 are referred to the Permian series, and these are again overlain by 

 rocks which there is no difficulty in referring to the Trias. 



But the Infralias is by far the most interesting and most exten- 

 sively developed formation in the neighbourhood of the Grulf, on 

 both sides of which it forms a long and elevated band. A tabular 

 list of 81 species of fossils is given, of which 17 are found in 

 Lombardy, 23 in the beds of Hettange, and 28 are new. 



We come next to the Liassic formation, and here Chevalier 

 Capellini explains the errors into which former geologists had 

 fallen respecting the stratigraphical order of superposition on 

 the western side of the Gulf, where the red Ammonitiferous 

 limestone overlies the Posidonomya-schists, by showing, from a 

 comparison Avith other localities where the beds were more hori- 

 zontally disposed, that the strata which are now in an almost 

 vertical position have h3re been really inverted. He then shows 

 that all the three subdivisions of the Lias series are here repre- 

 sented between the Oolites and the Infralias. Thus the Upper 

 Lias is represented by the schists with JPosidonomya Bronni ; the 

 Middle Lias by the red Ammonitiferous limestone, schists with 

 impressions of Ammonites, and interstratified limestones ; and the 

 Lower Lias by flaggy limestones, and calcareous schists with 

 Belemnites. 



Up to a very recent period all the overlying rocks were sup- 

 posed to be Eocene, but the discovery of Turrilites and other 

 Cretaceous fossils has proved the existence of a narrow Cretaceous 

 band, which, under the name of Macigno and Pietra forte, had 

 previously been classed with the Nummulitic beds. The Avhite 

 Alberese limestone also belongs to the Chalk. 



The following chapters are devoted to the description of the 

 Eocene and Miocene formations in the district, the eruptive masses 

 of serpentine, the ossiferous caverns of Cassana, and the other Post- 

 pliocene and recent formations. There is also an interesting account 

 of the remarkable spring of fresh water which rises up in the sea 

 near Marola. Many ingenious hypotheses have been started to 

 account for this singular phenomenon. After relating these. 

 Chevalier Capellini endeavours to account for it by showing tliat 

 it occurs in the direct prolongation of the great fault which runs 

 from N.W. to S.E. along the foot of the hills, between the Eocene 

 formation and the a]3parently overlying Triassic and Infralias 

 rocks. All the springs and fountains of Spezzia occur along this 

 line of fault, which being prolonged under the sea, conducts the 

 freshwater drainage from the hills by a subterranean channel to 

 the most distant and principal opening by which the water returns 

 to the surface. 



