256 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



PROCEEDINGS OF GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES. 



Geologists' Association. — On the 20th ult. (Whit-Monday), about fifty 

 members made an excursion to Oxford. The party left the Paddington Station 

 at eight a.m., and, assembling at Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, proceeded to Shot- 

 over Hill, examining en route the Oxford Clay, Calcareous Grit, Coralline 

 Oolite, Kimmeridge Clay, Portland Sands, and the so-called Lower Greensand, 

 which forms its summit. 



On the return to Oxford the new museum was visited, under the guidance 

 of Professor Phillips, who pointed out the chief objects of interest in it. The 

 shafts of the columns round the interior of the building are composed of speci- 

 mens of all the most important British rocks and marbles. 



The party next retired to the theatre of the museum, where the Brofessor 

 gave a short but interesting lecture on the beds at Shotover Hill, which he 

 considered, from the presence in some of freshwater-shells, to be rather Wealden 

 than Lower Greensand. Admission was then kindly given by Dr. Acland to 

 the Ratcliffe library, in which there is a fine collection of foreign marbles. 



This was not only the largest muster of the Association for a field-day, but 

 the most important and best conducted excursion yet made ; and we record 

 with the highest pleasure any symptoms of improvement tending to raise this 

 Society to the position it ought to occupy at the head of the Field Clubs. 



Richmond Institution. — During the last month our esteemed friend and 

 correspondent Edward Wood, Esq., F.G.S., of Richmond, Yorkshire, has 

 delivered two highly interesting and instructive lectures on the Formation of 

 the Earth, to audiences on each occasion of not less than one hundred and 

 seventy persons, at his own residence, the whole of whom, after inspecting the 

 treasures of his choice museum, were hospitably entertained in the most 

 sumptuous manner by the lecturer. The local papers speak highly of Mr. 

 Wood's lectures. One of them says . — 



" The lecturer purposely abstained from technicalities, and by the use of the 

 ordinary phraseology rendered his thoughts with so much perspicuity as to be 

 intelligible to the most ordinary capacity. This is a rare quality in lecturers, 

 who, as a general rule, care less about instructing their audiences than appearing 

 learned themselves. Mr. Wood's departure from this ostentatious display of 

 unnecessary learning is well worthy of imitation ; and his modesty has been 

 contributory to the information of his hearers. The lecturer spoke for upwards 

 of an hour, with the greatest fluency, though entirely without notes, and was 

 warmly applauded throughout." 



Happy, indeed, are our Yorkshire friends in being first entertained with 

 excellent mental food, and then hospitably banqueted on the delicacies of the 

 season. Doubtless, geology will be a very popular science, treated in this 

 manner. 



Glasgow Geological Society.— On the 4th of May upwards of twenty of 

 the members of this society proceeded by the Caledonian Railway on their 

 second excursion of this season. The localities examined were Braidwood Gill 

 and Nethan valley, in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire. At Braidwood station 

 the party were joined by Mr. Forest, who had kindly come from Edinburgh to 

 ad as guide, Dr. Rankine, of Carluke, having also sent an escort. On entering 

 'lie " gill," a wooded ravine, the hammers of the excursionists were soon busy 

 on some transported blocks of very fiue greenstone and feist one-porphyries. 



