8 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



by a model his solution of the Miner's Problem, in reference to 

 the security of the foundation of the houses in Moray Place. 



On the 23d February, Mr E. Forbes read a communication 

 on the Asteriadw of the Irish Sea, which was afterwards pub- 

 lished in the Society's Memoirs. This was one of Forbes's 

 early papers, and gave indications of what might be expected 

 from his natural history labours. 



On 9th March 1839, Mr Cunningham read a valuable 

 paper on the Geology of the islands of Eigg, Rum, and Canna, 

 which was subsequently published in the Society's Me- 

 moirs. 



The session was closed on 20th April 1839 ; and the twenty- 

 third session was opened on 23d November, when, among 

 other notices, I find that Edward Forbes was made a mem- 

 ber of Council. 



On 7th December 1839, Mr R. J. Hay Cunningham read 

 an essay on the relations of granite and trap to stratified 

 rocks, illustrating it by twenty-six large coloured sections, 

 showing numerous contortions, in which there is no evidence 

 of the granite having been forcibly injected so as to* produce 

 shifting. Mr Macgillivray exhibited a specimen of the but- 

 cher bird (Lanius excubitor), shot at Whittinghame by Mi- 

 Archibald Hepburn. 



On 21st December 1839, a communication was read from 

 Professor Ehrenberg on the calcareous and siliceous micro- 

 scopic animals which form the chief component parts of chalk 

 and its associated rocks. Dr Greville stated that Mr Shuttle- 

 worth considered many of these organisms of Ehrenberg to be 

 of vegetable origin. Mr Stevenson mentioned that, up to 1st 

 December current, no snow lay upon the mountains of the outer 

 Hebrides, which, in ordinary seasons, were clothed with snow 

 in the end of October or beginning of November ; but that 

 wild swans were abundant in the lochs, indicating a severe 

 winter in Iceland and Faroe. 



The Society would appear also to have extended its opera- 

 tions beyond the ordinary limit of science ; for I find in the 

 minutes of 12th January 1840, " on the motion of Professor 

 Jameson, it was unanimously agreed that the members of 

 this Society will give all possible countenance and encourage- 



