THE GEOLOGY OF BARBADOS. 197 



15. The Geology of Barbados. B\' A. J. Jukes-Erowne, Escj., 

 r.G.S., and Prof. J. B. Harrison, M.A., F.G.S. (Bead 

 February 4, 1891.) 



Part I. — The Coral-rocks of Barbados and other West-Indian 



Islands. 



Contents. 



Pnge 



§ 1. Introduction 1U7 



2. The Coral-reefs now growing '2.00 



o. Tile Raised Reefs or Coral-roclis 209 



4. Analyses of Coral-roclis 224 



5. Palaeontology and Age of the Raised Reefs 225 



6. Notices of similar Reefs in other Caribbean Islands 229 



7. Physical Geography of the Caribbean Region during the 



formation of the Reefs 238 



Appendices I. and II., by W. Hill, Esq., F.Gr.S., on the Micro- 

 scopical Structure of samples from Barbados and Jamaica 243 



§ 1. Introduction. 



Seeing that Barbados has always been a station for our West- 

 Indian forces, and that it has for some time been the first place of 

 call for the Boyal Mail steamers, it is somewhat strange that no 

 adequate account of the geology of the island has ever been pub- 

 lished, especially as it is one of the most healthy of our West- 

 Indian possessions and offers few physical difficulties to the' 

 explorer. 



The earliest notice on Barbados is a short paper by Dr. J. Skey *, 

 but this gives very little information. Ehrenberg in 1S54 described 

 the Micro/oa obtained from the white earths of Barbados, and the 

 liadiolaria have since become familiar to microscopical students ; 

 but the true geological position of these earths has never been made 

 known. 



So far as we can learn, the only geological description of the 

 island is that given by Sir Robert Schomburgk in his " History of 

 Barbados" (1848). So far as it goes, and considering the date at 

 which it was written, Schomburgk's description is a good one. He 

 describes the rocks under two heads : (1) Coral Limestone, (2) Sili- 

 ceous rocks. 



His account of the Coral Limestone is fairly complete and accu- 

 rate ; he explains the phenomena which it presents by a gradual 

 but discontinuous upheaval of the area, and truly remarks that the 

 structure of the island offers several features which are difficult to 

 reconcile with Darwin's theory of coral-reefs. 



For the siliceous rocks he proposes the name of " Scotland Forma- 

 tion," because the area in which they occur is known as the Scotland 

 District, and he includes the Radiolarian marls under this head, 



* Trans. Geol. Soc. ser. i. vol. iii. (1816) p. 236. 



