THE 



QUARTERLY JOURNAL 



OF 



THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF 



THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



April 9, 1856. 



T. H. Huxley, Esq., F.R.S., was elected a Fellow. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. Notes on the Geology of the Neighbourhood of Sydney, 

 Newcastle, and Brisbane, Australia. By Mr. James S. 

 Wilson, Geologist to the North Australian Expedition. 

 [Communicated by Sir R. I. Murchison, F.G.S.] 

 (Abstract.) 



The country ahout Sydney is composed nearly altogether of sand- 

 stones belonging to the Carboniferous era, and similar in appearance 

 to those of the same age in the north of England. Although in the 

 vicinity of Sydney no coal has been found, with the exception of a 

 few very thin seams, seldom exceeding a quarter of an inch in thick- 

 ness, yet a thin seam of coal-shale of small extent occasionally occurs. 

 The sandstone-rocks about Sydney are generally white, consisting 

 of a clear quartz-sand united by a white earthy cement ; there are, 

 however, two principal exceptions, viz. the top bed, which is a red 

 conglomerate, principally pebbles of trap, cemented with oxide of 

 iron, — and one of the lower beds, containing iron ; but in whichever 

 matrix the sand is found, it appears, when examined with a microscope, 

 to consist of minute crystals of quartz, partially rounded by abrasion. 



VOL. XII. PART I. X 



