PROCEEDINGS OE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES. 



63 



Swan, Esq. In a letter to Sir R. I. Murchison, KC.B., F.R.S., F.G.S., 

 etc. 



The lithological and stratigraphical characters" of the rocks of the Bos- 

 phorus having been noticed, the author gave a general description of the 

 fossils occurring in them, — namely, Spirifer (broad-winged and small 

 species), Ortkis, and other Brachiopods ; JEomalonotus and other Trilo- 

 bites ; together with Corals of the genus Favosites associated with the 

 well-known Pleurodictyum problematicmn. Graptolites were stated to be 

 entirely wanting, and Cephalopods to be very rare. Mr. Swan therefore 

 inferred that these strata were of the age of the Lower Devonian rocks of 

 the Rhine. 



Uecember 16, 1863.— 1. " On the Pebble-bed of Budteigh Salterton." 

 By W. Vicary, F.G-.S. With notes on the Fossils by J. W. Salter, 

 F.G.S. — The south coast of Devonshire, from Petit Tor, near Babbacombe 

 Bay, to a little beyond Sidmouth, exhibits cliffs of New Bed Sandstone ; 

 one of the beds of which, near Budleigh Salterton, is composed of pebbles 

 of all sizes and of a flattened oval form : this bed attains a maximum 

 thickness of about 100 feet, and some of the pebbles composing it were 

 found by Mr. Vicary to contain peculiar fossils. 



Mr. Vicary gave a description of the physical features of the area over 

 which the pebble-bed extends, and entered into the stratigraphical details 

 of this and the associated strata, referring to Mr. Salter's note for infor- 

 mation upon the affinities of the fossils. In his note, Mr. Salter observed 

 that, on comparing the fossils of the Budleigh Salterton pebbles with those 

 from the Caen sandstone in the Society's Museum, he found that all the 

 species contained in the latter collection were also represented in the 

 former. The general aspect of the fossils was stated to be quite unlike 

 that exhibited by English Lower Silurian collections, and Mr. Salter 

 therefore suggested that the exact equivalent of the Caen sandstone does 

 not exist in England. This difference in the two faunas appeared to him 

 to favour the theory of the former existence of a barrier between the 

 middle and northern European regions during the Silurian period. 



2. " Experimental Researches on the Granites of Ireland. — Part IV. 

 On the Granites and Syenites of Donegal, with some remarks on those 

 of Scotland and Sweden." By the Rev. Samuel Haughton, F.R.S. — The 

 author discussed in detail the mineralogical composition of each of the fif- 

 teen Donegal granites, and described the method usually employed by 

 him in solving lithologico-chemical problems, coming to the conclusion 

 that nearly half of these granites are not composed altogether of the four 

 minerals (quartz, orthoclase, oligoclase, and black mica) which are found 



-in them in distinct crystals, and that the remaining varieties, even if they 

 be composed of these minerals, must have a paste composed of the same 

 minerals, but with a slightly different composition. Professor Haughton 

 then discussed the composition of the syenites of Donegal, and instituted 

 a comparison between the granites of that district and those of Scotland 

 and Sweden, remarking that those of the last-named region have the 

 same stratified structure as the granites of Donegal. 



3. " On the recent Earthquake at Manilla." By J. W. Farren, Esq. 

 Communicated by the Foreign Office. — In two letters to Earl Russell, 

 the author described the damage done by this earthquake, observing that 

 289 persons were killed, and a large number more or less injured. 



4. " Extracts from Letters relating to the Further Discovery of Fossil 

 Teeth and Bones of Reptiles in Central India." By the late Rev. S. 

 Hislop. Communicated by Professor T. Rupert Jones, F.G.S. — The re- 

 mains alluded to consist of (1) a series of reptilian bones, some bearing 



