1865.] Geology and Pakeontology. 101 



of North Australia, discovered by Mr. John Macdowall Stuart." The 

 country referred to, and which has up to this time gone simply by the 

 name of Northern Australia, and in one part by that of Arnhem 

 Land, has been called by Mr. Stuart, in his right as explorer and, in a 

 sense, discoverer, Alexandra Land, in compliment to the Princess of 

 Wales. The means of access to this district lie up the Adelaide river, 

 which is a secure harbour at its mouth, and for 80 miles up has 40 

 feet of water. The land is rich and fertile, and is described as healthy 

 for European settlers, provided Malay or Chinese workmen and 

 labourers can be introduced in sufficient numbers to make cultivation 

 profitable. 



We would here draw the attention of discoverers to the importance 

 of paying some attention to the nomenclature of new districts. Giving 

 names from the members of the Royal Family, ministers, and the 

 members of the exploring party, mark the dates of discoveries — thus 

 Alexandra Land and Point Somerset mark the period of discovery 

 and of settlement ; but such a title as Adelaide river is apt to lead the 

 student to the south rather than the north of Australia, whilst the 

 scattering broadcast the name of one explorer over the whole con- 

 tinent, as that of some discoverers has been, is utterly bewildering, 

 and makes the remembrance of localities, unknown to actual vision, a 

 matter of impossibility. Thus we find in Southern Australia — 

 Flinders county ; to the north-west of this, Flinders Island ; to the 

 north-east, Flinders Lake ; and again at some distance to the south- 

 east, Flinders Black Rocks. In Queensland, we have a second 

 Flinders County ; to the south of which Flinders Peak ; at some 

 distance north again, Flinders passage ; and again, to the north oft* 

 Cape York (there is a Cape Yorke in South Australia), Flinders 

 Island ; and finally, an important, though yet untraced, river running 

 into the gulf of Carpentaria, that is likely to become the means of com- 

 munication between Brisbane and this northern settlement is called 

 Flinders Creek. This is almost too much for human endurance, what- 

 ever may have been the merits of Mr. Flinders. 



VII. GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 



[Including the Proceedings of the Geological Society.) 



Of all systematists the Geologist is the most perplexed by the occur- 

 rence of " connecting links." In organic nature gaps seem to be the 

 rule rather than the exception, while the intervals between rock- 

 systems are often filled up by an insignificant series of strata, par- 

 taking of the characters of both the neighbouring formations. These 

 connecting links, or " passage-beds," between groups of rocks, are, 

 of course, fruitful sources of discussion, some Geologists taking the 

 view that they belong to the overlying series, others the opposite ; 

 while others again, seeing that it is perfectly hopeless to expect that 

 either one view or the other will ever be universally accepted, adopt a 



