ANNIVEESAET ADDRESS OF THE PEESIDENT. Ixxix 



along the coasts high above the level of the sea resembling true 

 inundations on the shore. 



As an appendix to these observations of Count Keyserling, Prof. 

 Baer, of the Academy of Sciences, has added some interesting re- 

 marks of his own respecting huge boulders which he had himself 

 seen in various spots along the coast of Finland and the adjacent 

 islands, some of which are of great size, and all of which, he was 

 told by the inhabitants, had been driven into their present position 

 by the pressure of the great fields of ice. He then proceeds to give 

 an account of the island Laven Lari, on the coast of Esthonia, where 

 he considers that erratic phenomena are still going on, although the 

 chief events took place at a far distant period. He compares the 

 present form and outline, and its accumulation of gravels and boul- 

 ders, with those given in older maps, and believes that the map of 

 Spafariew, published in 1822, on data obtained in 1813, although 

 not absolutely correct, is yet sufficiently so as to justify the assumption 

 that the differences in the two maps represent the changes which 

 have taken place in the last quarter of a century. The reports of 

 the inhabitants respecting the movements of the ice would appear to 

 account for these changes, which are closely connected with the 

 facts communicated by Count Keyserling. 



At the same time Prof. Baer admits that other causes of this 

 change of form may possibly have come into play ; as the inhabitants 

 alluded to the conviction of the gradual rising of their island above the 

 level of the sea, without, however, giving any satisfactory reasons. 

 In conclusion, Prof. Baer states, as the result of his observations, that 

 very large boulders are only seldom moved by ice ; moderate sized 

 ones more frequently; but that small blocks, particularly near the 

 level of the sea, are so frequently moved and heaped together by ice, 

 that they escape the notice of the inhabitants, and yet produce im- 

 portant changes in the outlines of the flatter island in the course of 

 a century. Thus erratic phenomena are continued even to the pre- 

 sent day, although the distribution of the superficial boulders appears 

 to point to an enormous lapse of time. 



But there are other erratic blocks found buried in the soil far in- 

 land, which can hardly be referred to the action of the present sea 

 and its floating ice, and these extend as far as Moskow. In the Gulf 

 of Finland also are great masses of blocks which reach so near the 

 surface of the water as to cause serious impediments to navigation. 

 The Professor concludes by distinguishing fetill existing or recent 

 erratic phenomena from others w^hich may be called diluvial, and 

 considers the floating ice and the present level of the sea, or perhaps 

 one slightly elevated, as a sufficient explanation of the former. With 

 regard to the older erratic or diluvial phenomena he has no suggestion 

 to make, but advocates the necessity of further local observations. 



Don Casiano di Prado has published during the past year '^A 

 Physical and Geological Description of the Province of Madrid.' On 

 this occasion I need only refer to the second or geological portion of 

 the work. He says that in this province are found remains of the 

 organic life of the Silurian period in beds which rise to a height of 



