13S 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



ment of a large amount of Red Sandstone'in the north-western counties to 

 the Permian -period, and its removal from the New Red Sandstone, or 

 Trias formation, to which it has hitherto been assigned in all geological 

 maps. The authors showed that these Red Sandstones are closely and 

 conformably united with the Magnesian Limestone or its equivalent, and 

 form the natural upper limit of the Palaeozoic deposits. They thus affirmed 

 that a tripartite arrangement of the Permian rocks holds good in West- 

 moreland, Cumberland, and Lancashire, and that the three subdivisions are 

 correlative with those formerly shown by Sir R. I. Murchison to exist in 

 the Permian deposits of Germany and Russia ; thus {proving ifo e inappli- 

 cability of the term Dyas to this group of rocks. 



The difference, in lithological details, of the Permian rocks of the north- 

 west of England from those on the opposite flank of the Pennine chain, 

 was next adverted to ; and it was observed that, with so vast a dissimilarity 

 in their lithological development in England, we need not be surprised at 

 finding still greater diversities in Germany and Russia. 



The discovery, by Professor Harkness, in the central member of this 

 siliceous group in Westmoreland, of numerous fossil plants identical with 

 the species of the Kupfer Schiefer in Germany, and in the Marl-slate of 

 the Magnesian Limestone of Durham, was given as a strong proof of the 

 correctness of the author's conclusions. 



The comparative scarcity of igneous rocks, and the evidence of powerful 

 chemical action in the Permian strata of Britain, is contrasted with their 

 abundance in deposits of that age in Germany ; but proofs are nevertheless 

 brought forward to show that the haematite of Cumberland and Lancashire 

 was formed in the early accumulation of the Permian deposits. 



In describing in detail the different members of the Permian group of 

 the north-west of England, the authors define the downward and upward 

 limit of the strata which have undergone dolomitization ; for whilst certain 

 bands of calcareous breccia (the " brockrum" of the natives), which occur in 

 the central portion of the series, contain much magnesia, the lower breccias, 

 composed of the same mountain-limestone fragments, have no trace of it ; 

 nor is it to be detected in the Upper Member, or St. Bees Sandstone. 



A large collection of rocks and fossils from Victoria, Australia, pre- 

 sented to the Society by A. R. Selwyn, Esq., was exhibited. 



February 19. — Annual General Meeting. Prof. A. C. Ramsay, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — The Secretary read the Reports of the Council 

 of the Museum and Library Committee. The increase in the numbers of 

 the Society, and the state of the Society's finances, were considered to be 

 extremely satisfactory. The President announced the award of the Wol- 

 laston Gold Medal to Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, K.C.B., etc., for 

 his many distinguished services to palaeozoic geology, especially (1) for his 

 great work entitled the ' Silurian System ; ' (2) for his important work 

 * On the Geology of Russia ; ' and (3) for his remarkable discovery of the 

 true relations of all the rocks beneath the Old Red Sandstone that form 

 the Highlands of Scotland ; and, in handing the medal to the eminent 

 recipient, he took occasion to review briefly the influence of these various 

 labours on the progress of geological science. Sir Roderick Murchison, 

 on receiving the medal, expressed his deep sense of the honour which had 

 been done him by the Society, and which was enhanced by its being com- 

 municated to him through his friend and colleague Professor Ramsay. 

 The President then stated that the balance of the proceeds of the Wollas- 

 ton Donation Fund had been awarded to M. Deshaves, to assist him in his 

 work on the Mollusca of the Paris Basin, and in testimony of the high 



