president's address. 



3 



stated that the object of the paper was to show that the progressive 

 wave riding inland is no evidence of a submarine earthquake, as 

 stated by many, or at least but a secondary instead of a primary 

 evidence, and is itself dependent on the magnitude of the preceding 

 e£9.ux, which in its turn is dependent on the violence and duration 

 of the subaqueous shock occasioning it. 



The President also drew attention to the statements that had 

 recently been published, that the Great Gulf Stream was by no 

 means the important oceanic current that has been generally sup- 

 posed, but these, he thought, must be tested by fresh and carefully 

 made observations before they can be accepted as correct, although, 

 no doubt, much has been attributed to the influence of the Gulf 

 Stream that is dependent upon other causes. 



He also drew attention to the interesting results obtained by Dr. 

 Carpenter's and Professor Wyville Thompson's deep sea dredgings. 

 These have been successfully carried on at 2400 fathoms — a depth 

 equal to the height of Mont Blanc — a varied fauna is found to 

 exist, but its character is influenced by the reduction of the 

 temperature to that of Arctic coldness. They moreover show that 

 at this time there is going on a submarine chalk formation. 



Mr. Pengelly read a paper on the Clays in the Bovey Basin ;" 

 and also on the ''Vertebrae of a Whale washed up at Babbicombe," 

 which Dr. Gray has pronounced to be unlike those of any living 

 whale, but resemble those of a skeleton found in Sweden by 

 Professor Lilljeborg. Dr. Gray has named it Eschrichtius rohustus. 

 (Lillj.) 



Mr. Etheridge described the bed of Terra Cotta Clay near Tor- 

 quay; Mr. "Whitley communicated a paper on the "Distribution 

 of shattered Flint Flakes in Devon and Cornwall;" and Mr. 

 Townshend Hall gave a paper on **The Method of Forming Flint 

 Flakes used by the early inhabitants of Devon and Cornwall." 



Mr. Frank Buckland, in his paper on ''The Salmon Rivers of 

 Devon and Cornwall," stated that the entrance of fish into rivers 

 depends upon the rapidity of the rise of the river to the colder 

 altitudes, the fish preferring those rivers that have a low ascent, and 

 avoiding those that have a too rapid slope in the outgoing stream. 



The President then drew attention to the scientific work done at 

 the Devonshire Association this last year at Dartmouth. He noticed 

 at some length the president's (Mr. Bidder's) address on Rivers. 

 He also noticed especially Mr. Parfitt's researches on "Spontaneous 



