1870.] GEIESBACH GEOLOGY OF ISTATAL. 53 



greater length and under separate heads. He was not surprised at the 

 finding of plants of Carboniferous genera in the Dieynodon-beds which 

 appeared to be of Triassic age, inasmuch as the same was the case 

 to some extent in our own later beds of Oolitic date. He agreed in 

 the view of the probability of a vast continent having formerly ex- 

 isted in the southern part of the world, and considered that the 

 denudation of Southern Africa had been so great that it was no 

 wonder the boundaries of the old freshwater lakes were no longer 

 easy to find. It was also by no means surprising to him that a 

 recurrence of glacial phenomena should be found in Southern 

 Africa, as it had been in Europe. He did not, however, think it 

 necessary to call in the action of ice for the excavation of valleys 

 such as some of those described, as rain and running water appeared 

 to him sufficiently powerful for the purpose. At the same time 

 he would not deny the possibility of ice having been the agent in 

 these cases. 



Mr. R. Tate had seen evidence of similar effects being produced 

 by aqueous force to those resulting from glacial action, and cited 

 instances of moraine-Kke deposits having been formed by running 

 streams in Central and Southern America. 



Mr. H. "Woodward suggested that it would be desirable to wait 

 for further particulars of the sections before assuming the actual 

 association of the Lepiclodendron and other plants. He added that 

 the Stigmaria lately said to have been obtained from the Kim- 

 meridge Clay had really come originally from Newcastle. 



Prof. T. Rupert Jones remarked that Mr. Stow, like other South- 

 African geologists, had had ample experience of the effects of 

 violent rain. "With regard to the mixture of Palaeozoic plants (such 

 as the Lepidodendron &c. sent by Dr. Grey) with Paloeozamia and 

 Pecopteris, he thought it somewhat analogous to the mixture of 

 palaeozoic and mesozoic fossils in Australia. 



3. On the Geology of Natal, in South Africa. By Charles Ludolf 

 Grtesbach, Esq., Corr. Member of the K. K. geologischen Reichs- 

 anstalt, and of the K. K. geographischen Gesellschaffc, Vienna. 



(Communicated by Henry Woodward, Esq., F.G.S.) 



[Plates II. & III.] 



I. Geography of the country : "Watersheds. 



The colony of Natal presents the appearance of a series of terraces ; 

 the first terrace begins to rise about thirteen to twenty miles from 

 the coast, and forms a hilly country, about ] 000 feet above the level 

 of the sea. It forms plateaux in abrupt rising steps until it reaches 

 the height of about 2300 feet, after which the country sinks gradually 

 again to the level of Pietermaritzburg (2080 feet above the sea) ; but 



