16 
Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
Wednesday, 2ith December 1862. — James M'Bain, M.D , R.N., Pre- 
sident, in the Chair. 
The Office-bearers for the Session 1862- 63 were elected as follows : — 
Presidents. — James M'Bain, M.D., R.N. ; John Coldstream, M.D. ; 
David Page, Esq. 
Council. — William Turner, Esq , M.B. ; Thomas Strethill Wright, 
M.D. ; George Berry, Esq, ; A. M'Kenzie Edwards, Esq. ; Alexander 
Bryson, Esq, ; John Anderson, M.D. ; William S, Young, Esq. 
Secretary. — John Alexander Smith, M.D. 
Treasurer. —George Logan, Esq. 
Assistant- Secretary . — James Boyd Davies, Esq. 
Honorary Librarian. — Robert F. Logan, Esq. 
Librari/ Committee. — W. H. Lowe, M.D. ; John Anderson, M.D. 
Thomas Robertson, Esq. 
The following gentleman was elected an ordinary member of the 
Society : — 
David Douglas, Esq., Publisher. 
New parts of the Proceedings for the last Session, 1861-62, were laid 
on the table by the Secretary. 
The following Donations to the Library were presented, and thanks 
voted to the Donors : — 
1. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 
August to December 1861. — From the Academy. 2. (1.) Jahrbuch der 
Kaiserlich — Koniglichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt, xii. Band, Nro. 2. 
Janner, Februar, Mars, April, 1862, Wien ; (2.) Die Fossilen MoUusken 
des Tertiaer — Beckens von Wien, ii. Band, Nro. 3, -4, Bivalven. — From 
the I. R. Geological Institute of Austria. 
I. On the Bituminous Shales of Linlithgowshire and Edinburghshire. 
By Andrew Taylor, Esq. 
The Geological Relations of the English and Scottish Car- 
honiferous Systems, — The consideration of this general pre- 
liminary question is necessary in order to determine the 
true stratigraphical position of the shales about to be de- 
scribed ; a point this of the greatest importance, should a 
comparison be instituted with bituminous substances, which 
have become of great commercial value in other geological 
systems. 
Considerable misapprehension exists as to the relations oi 
the English and Scottish carboniferous systems. William 
Smith, in the course of the journeys b}^ which he arrived at 
