﻿Yol. 64.] QUANTITATIVE METHODS TO THE STITDY OP EOCKS. 233 



certain layers of sediment had taken for their deposition. The 

 geological world would await with impatience the publication of 

 his full paper, and the Society would meanwhile return to him 

 its hearty thanks for having honoured it by communicating so 

 important a memoir, and would express the earnest wish that 

 he might still live to complete the preparation of other papers 

 embodying the result of his long years of quiet work in experi- 

 mental geological dynamics. 



Prof. Jfdd, while pointing out that it was impossible to discuss 

 (and much less to criticize) the paper from the abstract, directed 

 attention to its highly-suggestive character. Like all the work of 

 the Author, its value consisted not only in the conclusions arrived 

 at by him, but still more in the indication of new methods of 

 observation, and novel lines of reasoning, which could not fail 

 to have an important influence on the future development of 

 geological science. He was sure that all present united in 

 sympathy with the Author in his enforced absence from them ; 

 in admiration for the energy with which, despite all difficulties, 

 he continued his researches ; and in the hope that they would 

 receive still further contributions to science from his hand. 



Mr. E. A. Martin wished to call especial attention to the 

 allowance made by the Author for contraction in some of the 

 older rocks. Estimates had been made of the Earth's age, according 

 to the number of feet of total thickness of existing strata ; but no 

 allowance had in such estimates been made, as a rule, for com- 

 pression. An attempt in this direction was made in the ' Geo- 

 logical Magazine' for August 1907, but few would have anticipated 

 that the older rocks must be allowed to have contracted to 20 per 

 cent, of their original thickness, or even in the case of the Chalk 

 to 45 per cent. The publication of the paper would be awaited 

 with very great interest. 



