152 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
quartzitcs having yielded au Orthoceratite, and pebbles being present in one of 
tlie schists of Ben Lomond, these facts were adduced as further evidences of the 
real stratal condition of the schists and quartzites of the Highlands. 
2. "On the Rocks of portions of the Highlands of Scotland South of the 
Caledonian Canal, and on their equivalents in the North of Ireland." By Pro- 
fessor R. Harkness, E.R.S., T.G.S. 
The autlior having had the opportunity of examining the geology of the 
north-west of Scotland in the year 1859, and more especially the arrangement 
of rocks described by Sir R. Murchison as " fundamental gneiss, Cambrian 
grits, lower quartz-rock, limestones, upper quartz-rock, and overlying gneissose 
flags," applied the results of his observations during last summer to portions of 
the Highlands lying south of the Caledonian Canal, and to the North of Ireland. 
Developed over a large portion of these districts are masses of gneissose rock, 
of varying mineral nature, and sometimes putting on the aspect of a simple 
flaggy rock. Where these gneissose masses come in contact with plutonic 
masses, they exhibit that highly ciystalline aspect which induced Macculloch 
and others of the Scotch geologists to regard them as occupying an extremely 
low position among the sedimentary series, and to apply them to the Wernian 
term " primitive." Many of Macculloch's descriptions, however, show that 
this assumed low position is not the true place of this gneiss among the sedi- 
mentary rocks which make up the Highlands of Scotland. 
In a section from the southern flank of the Grampians to Loch Earn (and 
in other directions from Loch Earn to Loch Tay, from Duukeld to Blair Athol, 
in the Ben y Goe Mountains, in Glen Shee, &c.), there is seen a sequence which 
indicates that this gneiss is the highest portion of the series of rocks, with 
underlying quartz-rock and limestone. 
In the county of Donegal, Ireland, a like sequence is seen. A section from 
Inishowen Head to Malin Head, along the east side of Loch Eoyle, presents us 
with gneissose rocks above limestone and quartz-rocks, exactly as in Scotland. 
In no portion of Scotland south of the Caledonian Canal, nor in the North of 
L-eland, did the author recognise any traces of the " fundamental gneiss." 
Geologists' Association. — On January 7th the members of this Society 
met at their rooms, 5, Cavendish Square, to receive the annual general report 
of the committee, and to elect the council and officers for the ensuing session. 
The report dwelt upon the continued success and prosperity of the Association, 
and stated the legacy left by the late Mr. Brown, of Stanway, had been 
funded ; that members desii'ous of exchanging fossils had been placed in com- 
munication with each other ; that a number of good geological books would be 
purchased, towards the formation of a library ; that the collection of fossils in 
the Society's cabinet was increasing ; and that, as the excursions to Eolkestone, 
Maidstone, and Charlton dming the past year had afforded great satisfaction 
to the members, it was intended to follow the same course during the coming 
summer, and hold two or three similar field-lectures, of which timely notice 
would be given. 
Papers were read the same evening "On the Geology of the Isle of 
Sheppey,,' by the Rev. R. Bingham. The author, speaking of the divisions of 
the Tertiary beds, alluded to the island of Sheppey being an outlier of the 
strata forming " the London Basin." He then proceeded to dwell upon the 
physical aspect of the locality; and gave much interesting information in 
reference to the chffs and theii- fossil contents, stating that a ramble along the 
northern side would be rewarded with many a fossilized shell, fruic, and crus- 
tacean—silent witnesses of the existence of a group of spice-islandb m tha 
neighbourhood m ages long antecedent to the historic period. 
2. "On Disco veiies in the Lower London Tertiaries at Dulwich and Peck- 
