﻿1874.] 
  

  

  President's 
  Address. 
  

  

  57 
  

  

  stratification 
  of 
  an 
  oceanic 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  15 
  million 
  square 
  miles 
  and 
  

   with 
  an 
  average 
  depth 
  of 
  15,000 
  feet. 
  Nor 
  are 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   Survey 
  less 
  important. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  laid 
  before 
  you 
  at 
  our 
  meeting 
  

   of 
  the 
  26th 
  inst. 
  in 
  Prof. 
  Wyville 
  Thomson's 
  " 
  Preliminary 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  

   Nature 
  of 
  the 
  Sea-Bottom 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Sea," 
  which 
  reveal 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  hitherto 
  unsuspected 
  processes 
  of 
  aqueous 
  metamorphism 
  at 
  great 
  

   depths 
  in 
  the 
  ocean, 
  and 
  throw 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  light 
  upon 
  the 
  geological 
  

   problem 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  " 
  azoic 
  " 
  clays 
  and 
  schists. 
  

  

  Valuable 
  papers 
  on 
  new 
  and 
  little-known 
  marine 
  animals 
  have 
  been 
  

   contributed 
  to 
  our 
  Transactions 
  and 
  Proceedings 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Willemoes- 
  

   Suhm, 
  Mr. 
  Moseley, 
  and 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Civilian 
  Scientific 
  Staff 
  

   of 
  the 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ;' 
  and 
  a 
  Number 
  of 
  the 
  J 
  ournal 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  

   Society 
  is 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  Botanical 
  observations 
  and 
  collections 
  made 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Moseley 
  during 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  voyage. 
  

  

  Transit-of- 
  Venus 
  Committee. 
  — 
  Upon 
  the 
  representation 
  of 
  your 
  Council, 
  

   Her 
  Majesty's 
  Government 
  has 
  attached 
  naturalists 
  to 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  

   astronomical 
  expeditions 
  sent 
  out 
  from 
  this 
  country 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  

   approaching 
  transit 
  of 
  Venus. 
  The 
  stations 
  selected 
  were 
  the 
  two 
  most 
  

   inaccessible 
  to 
  ordinary 
  cruisers, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  most 
  interesting 
  

   in 
  regard 
  to 
  their 
  natural 
  productions 
  — 
  namely, 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Eodriguez 
  in 
  

   the 
  Mauritius 
  group, 
  and 
  Kerguelen's 
  Land 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Indian 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  The 
  objects 
  and 
  importance 
  of 
  these 
  appointments 
  were 
  laid 
  before 
  

   the 
  Government 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  an 
  unexplained 
  fact 
  in 
  the 
  physical 
  history 
  of 
  our 
  globe, 
  that 
  all 
  

   known 
  oceanic 
  archipelagos 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  great 
  continents, 
  with 
  the 
  

   sole 
  exceptions 
  of 
  the 
  Seychelles 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  solitary 
  islet 
  of 
  the 
  Mascarene 
  

   group 
  (which 
  islet 
  is 
  Rodriguez), 
  are 
  of 
  volcanic 
  origin. 
  According 
  to 
  

   the 
  meagre 
  accounts 
  hitherto 
  published, 
  Eodriguez 
  consists 
  of 
  granite 
  

   overlaid 
  with 
  limestone 
  and 
  other 
  recent 
  rocks, 
  in 
  the 
  caves 
  of 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  recently 
  extinct 
  birds 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  singular 
  

   structure. 
  These 
  facts, 
  taken 
  together 
  with 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  volcanic 
  islets 
  of 
  Mauritius 
  and 
  Bourbon 
  to 
  the 
  

   west 
  of 
  Eodriguez 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  granitic 
  archipelago 
  of 
  the 
  Seychelles 
  to 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  it, 
  render 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  products 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   exceptional 
  scientific 
  interest, 
  which, 
  if 
  properly 
  carried 
  out, 
  cannot 
  fail 
  

   to 
  be 
  productive 
  of 
  most 
  important 
  results. 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  regards 
  Kerguelen's 
  Land, 
  this 
  large 
  island 
  (100 
  by 
  50 
  miles) 
  

   was 
  last 
  visited 
  in 
  1840, 
  by 
  the 
  Antarctic 
  Expedition 
  under 
  Sir 
  James 
  

   Eoss, 
  in 
  midwinter 
  only, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  a 
  scanty 
  flora 
  

   of 
  flowering 
  plants, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  entirely 
  new 
  types, 
  and 
  an 
  

   extraordinary 
  profusion 
  of 
  marine 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   interest, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  representatives 
  of 
  north-temperate 
  and 
  

   Arctic 
  forms 
  of 
  life. 
  

  

  " 
  H.M.S. 
  4 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  visit 
  Kerguelen's 
  Land, 
  and 
  

  

  