216 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.  [Feb. 2, 
amining what are called the moss-agates of Oberstein through Mr. 
Bowerbank’s powerful microscopes, and am quite willing to admit 
that they unquestionably contain remains of spongeous structure. 
How far they are really found at Oberstein, or merely brought there 
to be polished, is another question. On the other hand, Mr. Bower- 
bank does not, I find, contend for the spongeous origin of those agates 
which are found in trap recks and amygdaloidal formations, but only 
of those which with chalk-flints and chert may be said to be of aque- 
ous origin. Thus the apparent discrepancy in our views is in a great 
measure mitigated and removed. 
February 1, 1848. 
Fesruary 2, 1848. 
James Hall, Esq., State Geologist for New York, was elected a 
Foreign Member of the Society. . 
The following communications were then read :— 
1. On the Organic Remains found in the Skippaw Suate, with 
some Remarks on the Classification of the Older Rocks of Cum- 
BERLAND and WESTMORELAND, ec. By the Rev. Professor 
Sepewick, M.A., F.R.S. & G.S., &e. 
ALTHOUGH the successive groups into which the rocks of the Lake- 
mountains of the north of England may be conveniently divided 
has been the subject of repeated discussions during former meetings 
of the Society, I think it expedient in the first place (as far as pos- 
sible suppressing all details) to enumerate these groups im their 
natural ascending order :— 
§ 1. Successive groups. 
1. Granite of Skiddaw Forest. 3 
2. Immediately over the granite, which is found in the centre of 
Skiddaw Forest, we have the group of Skiddaw slate, of very great but 
unknown thickness, and forming hills reaching the height of 3000 
feet. , 
3. The Skiddaw slate is overlaid conformably by the vast group 
composed of feldstone, feldstone porphyry, trappean breccias, trappean 
grits, trappean shales, &c., alternating indefinitely with quartzose, 
and more or less chloritic, roofing-slate, generally of a green colour. 
This group is more or less regularly bedded ; the trappean rocks, . 
whether erupted or recomposed, being all contemporaneous with the 
period of the slates, and not protruded at any after-epoch. The 
igneous rocks end (with a very limited exception) abruptly, and do 
not reappear, in a similar form, among the upper groups*. 
* The whole period is one of nearly continuous plutonic or volcanic action, and 
the most regularly bedded slates are interlaced indefinitely with recomposed plu- 
tonic and erupted matter. The same period of ancient volcanic action is marked 
