866 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



occurred on the night of the 7th of May, or the morning of the 8th, during 

 about an hour. At sunrise fine dust fell, at first white, afterwards red ; the 

 day was pitch-dark ; and the dust was nearly kneedeep. On the 9th the fall of 

 dust abated; and at night fire and smoke were seen issuing from Jebel Dubbel, 

 a mountain about a day's journey inland, and sounds like the firing of cannon 

 were heard. At Perim these sounds were heard at about two a.m. on the 8th, 

 and at long intervals up to the 10th or 11th. The dust was also met with at 

 sea; and along the entire coast of Yemen the dust fell for several days. 

 Several shocks were felt on the 8th at Mokha and Rodaida. 



6. "Notice on the occurrence of an earthquake on the 20th of March, 1861, 

 in Mendoza, Argentine Confederation, South America." By C. Murray, Esq. 

 Communicated by the President. 



At about a quarter to nine o'clock, the first shock, preceded by a thunder- 

 clap destroyed the city of Mendoza, killing (it is said) two-thirds of its sixteen 

 thousand inhabitants. Altogether there were eighty-five shocks in ten days. 

 The land-wave appears to have come from the south-east. Several towns south- 

 east of Buenos Ayres felt slight shocks. No earthquake took place at Chile ; 

 but travellers crossing the Upsallata Pass of the Cordilleras met with a shower 

 of ashes ; the pass was obstructed by broken rocks, and chasms opened on all 

 sides. At Buenos Ayres, three hundred and twenty-three leagues from Mendoza, 

 and elsewhere, it was observed in watch-makers' shops that the pendulums 

 moving north and south were accelerated ; those moving east and west were 

 not affected. 



7. £ On the increase of Land on the Coromandel Coast." By J. W. Dykes, 

 Esq. In a Letter to Sir C. Dyell, E.G.S. 



In the districts of the Kistna and Godavery, the land presents a parallel series 

 of ridges and hollows near the coast, not in relation to the rivers but to the 

 coast-line. These may now be formed by sedimentary deposits similar to what 

 are now taking place on the Coromandel coast. 'By the strong currents 

 alternately running north and south, according to the monsoons, lines of sedi- 

 ment parallel with the coast are formed ; and by the occasional interference of 

 winds and tides dams are thrown across the hollows, and the latter soon become 

 filled up. These parallel bands of coast-land become, in time, upheaved and 

 more or less affected by atmospheric agencies. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Pteeaspis Remains at Ceadlet. — Dear Sib,— Since the appearance of 

 Mr. Roberts' interesting paper in "The Geologist," on "The Geographical 

 Distribution of Pteraspis," &c, I have visited one of the quarries mentioned 

 by him, namely, at Cradley. I cannot coincide with Mr. Roberts, when he 

 says that " from Cradley only fragments of scutes may be obtained," and that 

 " good scutes are of rare occurrence." On the contrary it is my opinion, and 

 thai of a celebrated geologist who is well acquainted with all the' Herefordshire 

 fish-quarries, and who accompanied me to this spot, that this quarry, if not the 

 most, is al least one of the most productive quarries of Herefordshire. The 

 number of Pteraspis there is something astonishing. Every block one turns 

 contains three or four fine specimens. Not only can "good scutes" be 

 obtained, but specimens with both the rostrum and' lateral cornea attached are 



