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river first contracts itself, and is perceptible above Hoogly Town; and so quick is its motion that it hardly employs four hours in travelling from one to the other, though the distance is nearly seventy miles. At Calcutta it sometimes occasions an instantaneous rise of five feet; and both here, and in every part of its track, the boats, on its approach, immediately quit the shore and make for safety to the middle of the river. In the channels between the islands, in the mouth of the Megna, the height of the bore' is said to exceed twelve feet; and it is so terrific in its appearance and dangerous in its consequences, that no boat will venture to pass at spring-tides." Sir Charles Lyell mentions having witnessed it on a very grand scale in Nova Scotia. In our own country it may be seen in the river Severn, where the wave is very often nine feet in height. I have dwelt on this particular point, because in past ages, as at the present day, this phenomenon-supposing it existed-must have exerted considerable influence in producing marked changes in the districts in which it was prevalent, undermining cliffs, and carrying away from low shores remains of animals and trees, to be afterwards entombed in the bed of the ocean.

Away we floated down the gulf stream, the dazzling water breaking in melodious ripples on the bows of our little vessel. It was an intensely hot day; and lying under the awning we listlessly watched the receding coast of Kattiawar, which, overspread with a thin veil of mist, appeared dreamily indistinct and unreal. Our boatmen, thoroughly acquainted with the difficult navigation of the gulf, guided the craft most cleverly, and we could. not but admire their dexterity.

"Lyell's Travels in North America in 1842," vol. ii. p. 166. London, 1845. Quoted in "Lyell's Principles," p. 319.

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In which it seemed always afternoon;

All round the coast the languid air did swoon,

Breathing like one that hath a weary dream."*

We were at Perim, and what a dreary, melancholy spot the isle, which looked so bright in the distance, appeared now! The only vegetation visible was the gloomy mangrove tree, its tangled roots laden with seashells and weeds, and spreading around in all directions, seemed to luxuriate here, in its anomalous position between high and low water mark. Some of the Lascars who, from the lighthouse had been watching us approach, "came round about our keel," and helped us to disembark. Springing ashore we immediately commenced to search for fossils. Had we not been enthusiastic I think we should soon have given up, for it was no pleasant matter to grub away in banks of heavy mud, with a burning hot Indian sun beating mercilessly upon us.

We landed at the northern end of the island, and turning westward, continued our explorations until we came beneath the lighthouse. One of the Lascars told us that the best time of the year for finding the fossils is in the months of October and November, when the monsoon is over, and the heavy rains and seas which have prevailed during that season have either washed out fresh specimens from the matrix in which they are imbedded, or cleared away deposits of mud with which they are being constantly covered when once loosened. The fossils we discovered are for the most part very much sea-worn, having long been rolled about on the bare beach as boulder-stones. Many of them are so much disfigured as completely to defy recognition, and with many it is difficult to arrive at a correct conclusion as to their real

Lotos Eaters."-Tennyson.

nature. However, there are some which have been made out. They are parts of mastodon, deinotherium, hippopotamus, hippotherium, antelope, zeptorynchus, and a broad-snouted crocodile.

Climbing over the sand-hills on the western side we reached the lighthouse, and from the high ground on which it stands we had a very excellent view of the whole island and the opposite coast. The sun was sinking gradually into the west, and the distant hills of Kattiawar were beginning to wear the rich purple tints of evening. Everything around was inexpressibly calm and serene-not a sound was to be heard.

We now returned to our boat, which we found well loaded with our collection, and, turning her head to the north, we loosened and drifted away. Perim grew dim and grey in the horizon, and at last we saw it no more. The sun was gone, and the stars came out, and it was late when we arrived at Gogo.

I should have been glad had we been able to make another excursion to the interesting little island, but so pressed were we for time, that it was impossible.

The next day but one we crossed the gulf to Tankaria Bunder, the port of Jumbooseer; and in little more than a week we were again at Bombay, from whence we set out on our long journey at first.

This paper was illustrated by drawings made by the author, numerous fossils obtained in the locality, and gigantic casts of organic remains lent for the purpose by the Committee of the Derby Museum. These casts had been presented to the town by the East India Company, and the Society recorded its thanks to the Corporation for lending them on this occasion.

TWELFTH ORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION, 19th April, 1858.

DR. INMAN, PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

The resignation of Mr. J. P. G. SMITH was received. JAMES YATES, Esq., F.R.S., informed the Society of the progress of the movement for introducing a decimal international system of weights and measures, and stated that the National Association had unanimously resolved to advise the adoption of the metre as the unit of length, but they had not yet decided on the unit of capacity and weight.

The Rev. H. H. HIGGINS exhibited a brooch made from the Polyporus saligna by an inmate of the Lunatic Asylum. at York. It was much admired.

Mr. DUCKWORTH exhibited a fine specimen of the Echinus mammillatus dredged in the Red Sea.

Mr. MARRAT exhibited a number of lichens from South America, which illustrated the general diffusion of that class of plants, few of them differing from European species.

Mr. HIGGINSON drew attention to the phenomenon of complementary colours as found in printed matter, where black was used on green. Dr. THOMSON had noticed the same some years ago.

Dr. IHNE suggested an emendation in a passage of Julius Cæsar. It was that in which Cassius said to Brutus, when trying to persuade him to pronounce for liberty

Were I a common laugher, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love

To every new protester; if you know

That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,

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