Review of Hire,, I Geological Literature. •'.."> 
In this brochure are comprised memorial biographic sketches of Dr. T. 
Sterry Hunt, Prof. J. S. Newberry (with portrait), and Dr. J.H. Chapin, 
fellows deceased in the year 1892, with bibliographies of their writings; 
and the following papers, either in full or by abstract: Note on Fossil 
Sponges from the Quebec group (lower Cambro-Silurian) at Little 
Metis, Canada, by Sir J. William Dawson; A Fossil Earthquake [of New 
Madrid, Missouri, in 1811, continuing with shocks of diminishing inten- 
sity during the next two years], by W J McGee; Notes on the Glacial 
Geology of western Labrador and northern Quebec, by A. P. Low (see 
the Am. Geologist, March, 1893, p. 176); The supposed Postglacial 
Outlet of the Great Lakes through lake Nipissing and the Mattawa 
river, by G. Frederick Wright ( 1. c, April. 1893, p. 213); Notes on Geol- 
ogy of Middleton island, Alaska, by George M. Dawson (1. c, p. 244); 
The Huronian Volcanics south of lake Superior, by C. R. VanHise; 
and Two Overthrusts in eastern New York, by N. H. Darton. The 
membership of the Society July 31, 1893, was 224. 
The Cause of the great Earthquake in Central Japan in 1891. B. 
Koto. (Reprinted from the Journal of the College of Science, Imperial 
University, Japan, vol. v, pt. iv, 1893.) 
Prof. Koto, who holds the chair of geology in the Imperial univer- 
sity, has made a very thorough investigation and presentation of this 
remarkable and very destructive earthquake, in respect not only to the 
geological agencies involved, but also the effects produced. The work 
is accompanied by plates xxvrn-xxxv, four of them being ''collotypes," 
byG. Ogawa, which are almost equal to actual photographs. 
The location of this earthquake was in a fertile and populous plain, 
known as the provinces of Mino and Owari, on the Tokaido. It is 
bounded on three sides by masses of mountains composed on two sides 
of Paleozoic formations with subordinate areas of later granite, and on 
the other side of granites, gneiss and mica schist of older date. The 
plain is crossed by several rivers which fall into the bay of Ise, and 
ranks among the most populous and fruitful of all the rice-producing 
districts of Japan. 
The first shock, which was the most severe, buried thousands of liv- 
ing people beneath the debris of their houses, and occurred on the 
morning of Oct. 28, 1891. The succeeding shocks, however, were accom- 
panied by fires which broke out among the ruins. The city of Nagoya 
was in the center of the area most shaken. It is an alluvial plain, and 
indeed, in all cases the lowest lands suffered worst. The ground was 
riven with myriads of fissures and small mud-volcanoes were thrown 
up along the banks of thestreams, while long, parallel fissures produced 
a falling away and opening of the banks of the rivers. For a distance 
of twenty miles a road ran through a nearly continuous line of Tillage 
settlement. This became simply a narrow lane between two intermina- 
ble heaps of debris. The cities of Gifu, the provincial capital.* )gaki, and 
Kasamatsu were completely overthrown and then consumed b\ tire. 
According to the official returns, about seven thousand people lost their 
