mMjuftmm. 



WINTER SESSION. 



Note.— The Auth 



of the various papers, of which abstracts are here appended, arc alone 

 responsible for the views expressed in them. 



The first meeting of the Session was held on 22nd November, 

 when Mr. William Gray read a paper, entitled, "An Inquiry 

 into the Possibility and Probability of the Occurrence of Coal in 

 the neighbourhood of Belfast." 



The President (Professor James Thompson, LL.D., C.E.) in 

 the chair. 



The Chairman, on taking the chair, said that Mr. William 

 Gray would read a paper, which was, "An Inquiry into the Pos- 

 sibility and Probability of the Occurrence of Coal in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Belfast." The subject had attracted considerable 

 public attention, and it appeared very suitable for discussion in 

 that Club, and good advice upon the matter might either lead 

 to valuable discoveries or save people from incurring a useless 

 waste of money. He had great pleasure in calling on Mr. Gray 

 to read his paper. 



Mr. Gray commenced his lecture by saying that there was 

 nothing very interesting in a lump of coal that would attract one's 

 special attention from its appearance, and yet it is of far more 

 importance than its relative the diamond. The diamond, he 

 might say, represented the aristocracy of the family ; the coal 



