ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 191 



containing beds of anthracite, the mica-schist including garnets 

 and asbestus ; and he states that he is strongly inclined to believe, 

 that however crystalline they may be, they are no other than car- 

 boniferous rocks in a metamorphic state. There are many other 

 places in Rhode Island and Massachusetts of similar transformations, 

 especially in the neighbourhood of masses of granite and syenite *=, 

 The coal which, westward of the Alleghanies, is highly bituminous, 

 as it approaches the igneous rocks to the east gradually loses its bi- 

 tumen and gaseous contents, and is finally converted into anthracite. 

 The concluding part of the first volume of the second series of 

 the ' Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de France,' published last 

 year, contains an interesting, and, in many respects, highly in- 

 structive account of the proceedings of the Society at their meeting 

 at Chambery in August 184'4'. During the sixteen days it continued 

 several valuable papers were read, and interesting discussions thereon 

 are reported. Among others, the subject of metamorphism was 

 frequently brought forward, and it appears to be the settled opinion 

 of the most eminent French, Swiss and Italian geologists, who have 

 thoroughly examined the Alpine regions, that a great proportion of 

 the mica-schists, talc-schists and clay slates of the Alps, long held 

 as types of primitive rocks, are unquestionably deposits of secondary 

 age metamorphosed by igneous action. The neighbourhood of the 

 place of meeting is described by the Archbishop of Chambery, — 

 who took an active part in the proceedings, and who, from the com- 

 munications he read, seems to be a zealous geologist, — as one of the 

 countries of Europe the most interesting in this respect, and one in 

 which the modifications of metamorphic action may be traced from 

 its commencement to its extreme intensity with the greatest facility. 

 At the conclusion of the meeting, M. Virlet read a paper on the par- 

 ticipation which veins have had in metamorphic action, and brought 

 forward some new views on the theory of metamorphism. He states 

 that it has generally been held to be the result only of the action 

 of plutonic rocks on the sedimentary deposits with which they come 

 in contact, but that it is a far more complex operation, and is pro- 

 bably the result of several causes acting either simultaneously, sepa- 

 rately or successively ; among these he is disposed to ascribe much 

 to the addition of new materials, insinuating themselves in the shape 

 of gaseous emanations from the interior of the earth. He also dwells 

 much on the matter injected into fissures, forming veins, as having 

 had great eft'ect, maintaining that in all metalliferous regions, the 

 greater the number of veins by which they are traversed, so is the 

 degree of metamorphism increased. He insists much on the meta- 

 morphic action of quartz veins, which he holds to be of eruptive 

 nature, refers to the growing conviction among geologists, that in 

 many cases there have been eruptions of veins of calcareous spar, and 

 even ascribes the veins and slender ramifications of gypsum in the 

 argillaceous beds of the lias of Burgundy and the other eastern pro- 

 vinces of France to eruptions of sulphate of lime. 



* Lyeirs America, i. 248. 



