378 
confess that he had not been able to follow Mr. Sorby 
through many of his observations ; but his Paper would be 
printed, and it was not till then that the Members would be 
able to derive full benefit from its instructions. It may be 
said, however, that the Society was only formed for the 
printing of Papers, but it was also for the purpose of dis- 
cussion. He trusted the members would frequently see Mr. 
Sorby at the future meetings of the Society. 
E. W. Brayley, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S., as a visiter, con- 
gratulated the Society on the Paper just read. Mr. Sorby 's 
method of investigating the minute phenomena of the sedi- 
mentary deposits was quite new. His explanations of the 
wealden sands in the neighbourhood of Tunbridge Wells 
agreed with the results of former investigations on different 
principles — that a great estuary of variable depth had once 
existed in that locality. The observations made respecting 
the tertiary deposits of the Isle of Wight being the same as 
the line of elevation of the Pyrenees, were also of great 
interest. According to some geologists the great Himalayan 
chain of mountains was contemporaneous with the Pyrenees. 
He was not prepared to advocate or reject the theory of 
Mr. Sorby, but if it were correct it was very interesting to 
find that the tertiary deposits of the Isle of Wight were of 
the same age as the lofty Himalayan mountains, which were 
from 16,000 to 17,000 feet above the level of the sea, and 
which slightly interfered even with the spheroidal form of 
the earth. He then called on Mr. Sorby to explain the 
nature of the ripples on the surface of Magnesian Limestone, 
such as that used for the new Houses of Parliament. He 
also invited Mr. Sorby to show how he proved that the 
particles of water described a circle in the advance and 
recession of an ordinary wave. 
Mr. Sorby then answered the first question, and with 
respect to the second, he stated that the motion of the 
