TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 
583 
might enable them to furnish information, would favour him 
with contributions towards the completion of this inquiry. Mr. 
Stevenson added, that he had draw r n up a paper on the sub¬ 
ject, which had been published in 1816 in the 2nd volume of 
the Wernerian Transactions, and had treated it again, in 1820, 
in the 3rd volume of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal; 
that since that period he had had frequent opportunities of re¬ 
newing his observations on the British shores, and of extend¬ 
ing them upon the Continent between the Zuider Zee and the 
mouth of the river Garonne ; but that this additional range of 
observation did not lead him to suggest any new r theoretical 
principle. He had materials, however, for giving further in¬ 
formation, both in respect to the figure of the land and the 
state of the tides : and hoped at the next meeting to be more 
fully prepared, in reference to a chart showing the direction, 
progressive motion, and rise of spring and neap tides upon our 
shores, by adding to the fruits of his own exertions the benefit 
wdiich might be derived from the aid of other members of the 
Association. There w r as one subject which he begged to be per¬ 
mitted to suggest, as highly worthy of the notice of that meet¬ 
ing, viz. to ascertain w T ith greater accuracy than the casual ob¬ 
servation of the mariner can be supposed to obtain, the depth 
of waters in the British seas. A more perfect knowledge of 
the soundings of the German Ocean and minor British seas, 
w r as noticed, a good many years since, to the Board of Admi¬ 
ralty as an object deserving of national attention, in conjunc¬ 
tion with the Trigonometrical Survey. In the prosecution of 
such an object, the Association could not have recourse to bet¬ 
ter advice, or more valuable assistance, than that of the present 
Hydrographer to the Admiralty, Captain Beaufort. 
The Rev. William D. Conybeare gave a verbal explana¬ 
tion of A Geological Section of Europe*, w hich he had drawn 
to illustrate his Report upon the general progress of Geology. 
The Meeting expressed a unanimous wish that the numerous 
and valuable materials fora Geological Map of Europe, which 
Mr. Greenough is knowm to have collected, and to which his 
friends have ahvays had free access, might be given to the 
public. 
Mr. Wit ham read a memoir on Fossil Vegetation. In this 
communication the author states the results of the observations’ 
* This section has been engraved for the Association at the author's expense. 
