52 PEOCEEDIN^GS OP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [DeC. 7, 



To the Secretary of the Geological Society. 



Yorktown, January 28, 1871. 

 Deae Sir, — Subsequent to the reading of Dr. Grey's " Notes on 

 some Fossils from South Africa," it occurred to me that it is highly 

 probable that the upper or " Stormberg " division only of the 

 " Karoo formation " reaches so far north as the Orange-River Free 

 State, the middle and lower divisions never having been deposited in 

 that region. In this case, the Stormberg strata (of Secondary age) 

 containing the coal with Palceozamice (Atherstone and Stow) have 

 overlapped the Lower Karoo beds, and have been deposited directly 

 on palaeozoic rocks continuous with those of the Transvaal. These old 

 rocks might well be of Carboniferous age, with old coal ; for the 

 Devonian rocks appear to the north in the Transvaal ; and in Natal 

 the Karoo beds are said by Mr. Griesbach to occur in proximity to 

 the Carboniferous rocks, but unconformably and separated by igne- 

 ous intrusions. In the Stormberg, therefore, it is possible that the 

 Karoo coal-beds may be resting on the old Carboniferous rocks ; and 

 these latter may have yielded the really old coal-plants that have 

 been sent by Dr. Grey from the Stormberg section, and which were 

 also referred to by the late Dr. Rubidge some years ago. 



Yours, &c., 



T. RuPEBT Jones. 



2. On. some points in South -Afeican Geology. — Part II. 

 By G. W. Stow, Esq. 



(Communicated by Prof. T. Rupert Jones, F.G-.S.) 



[Abstract*.] 



This paper commenced with a detailed account of the Forest zones, 

 coal, and other strata of the Karoo formation, as seen in sections in 

 the Winterberg and Stormberg. The author particularly pointed 

 out the position of the Fern-beds at Dordrecht, of the Reptilian re- 

 mains found on the Upper Zwartkei, and of the Coal on the Klaas 

 Smits River. He next referred to the climatal changes of South 

 Africa, as indicated by its geology and fossils, particularly the 

 Karoo beds, the jE^^on-conglomerate, the Trigonia-heda, the several 

 post-Tertiary sheU-beds, and especially the present surface conditions, 

 which he regarded as due to ice-action, as evidence of which he 

 adduces roches moutonnees, moraines, basins, and striae, both north 

 and south of the Stormberg, in British Kaffraria, and even in Lower 

 Albany. He concluded with remarks on the probable succession of 

 periods, and on the former existence of a great southern continent. 



DiSCDSSION. 



Prof. Ramsay expressed a hope that the author at some future 

 time would discuss the numerous subjects of which he treated at 



* The publication of this paper is deferred. 



