Ixxxiv PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



belonging to the newest brown-coal. In the account of the minmg- 

 industry of Austria, recently published, there is a place called Wild- 

 shut on the Salza, entirely agreeing with this description, where a 

 seam of coal, 9 feet thick, is worked. This is probably the same 

 place as that alluded to by Lipoid, of which I have not been able to 

 find any further notice. 



I must refer you to the Journal of the German .Geological Society 

 for other valuable papers on various points connected with the progress 

 of geology during the present year. You will find in one of the last 

 numbers, received only a few days ago, an important communication 

 from Dr. Bornemann of Miihlhausen, on the Microscopic Fauna of the 

 Septaria-clay of Hermsdorf near Berlin. The author has increased 

 the number of species of Foraminifera, from this locality alone, from 

 -62 given by Prof. Reuss, to 117 ; of the 55 new species, 47 are abso- 

 lutely new, and they mark a decided diiFerence between the Tertiary 

 formations of the North of Germany, and those of the Vienna basin. 

 The number of species of Entomostraca has also been increased from 

 2 to 15. 



The remarkable mass of igneous rocks called the Kaiserstuhl, in the 

 valley of the Rhine, between Strasburg and Basle, must be well known 

 to all geologists who have visited that part of Germany. It is known 

 to all German mineralogists as the best locality for many interesting 

 and scarce minerals. Prof. Sandberger informs me that metamor- 

 phosed Tertiary formations containing fossil plants, such as Baphno- 

 gene polymorphay have been found in it, wedged in amongst the 

 basalts ; these tertiary beds must therefore have been broken up by 

 the igneous outbursts. The bed which overlies the pisolitic iron-ore 

 ( Bohnerz) of Kandern contains the same plants, and is in fact un- 

 distinguishable from the leaf-bearing sandstone of the Mayence 

 basin. I may here also mention, that most of the fossils- of the Alzey 

 fauna have been found near Kreuznach, in the barytic sandstone of 

 the Hardt. Hitherto only a few of the Mayence basin fossils had 

 been found in that locality. And finally he informs me that the land 

 and freshwater shells of Wiesbaden have been found near Gratz, but 

 unfortunately not yet in contact with the marine beds of the Vienna 

 basin. 



I have now to call your attention to two valuable papers by Prof. 

 Ludwig of Mannheim, well known for his geological investigations re- 

 specting the southern slopes of the Taunus,and his intimate acquaint- 

 ance with the geology of the Wetterau. They are published in the last 

 yearly Report of the Wetterau Society for Natural History at Hanau. 

 The first is on the connexion between the Tertiary formations in 

 Lower Hesse, Upper Hesse, in the Wetterau, and on the Rhine. 

 Recognizing the marine sands of Alzey as the oldest of these forma- 

 tions. Prof. Ludwig points out the different localities at which the 

 various formations occur, and the relative positions of the marine, 

 brackish, and fresh-water deposits ; and to all who take an interest in 

 the tertiary geology of Northern Germany this memoir will be of the 

 greatest use. Looking, however, to the physical structure of the 

 country, he does not consider, notwithstanding the close approach of 



