M. A. Preudhomme de Borre, the Conservator of the, Royal Museum of Natural History in Brussels, having received, some time since, from M. Persenaire, the impression and counterpart of the abdomen of a small Crustacean discovered in the Coal-shales at the ‘Belle-et-Bonne’ Colliery, near Mons, he submitted it to the inspection of the Entomological Society of Brussels at their Monthly Meeting on 5th June, 1875.

The following carefully and elaborately prepared list of the fossil Brachiopoda of the Lower Boulonnais has been forwarded to the Editor for publication by his esteemed friend and frequent contributor Thomas Davidson, Esq., F.R.S., who writes as follows:— “At my request M. E. Rigaux (51, Grande Rue, Boulogne-sur-mer, France) has been engaged for more than two years in drawing up complete summary of all the Brachiopoda that are to be found in the various formations composing the Lower Boulonnais.

The late Dr. Falconer figured in the “Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis,” a fine lower jaw of an adult Elephas primigenius, preserved in the National Collection, and of which he gives two views, the first as seen from above, the second a side view; and in the descriptions of the plates in the above work given in his “Palæontological Memoirs,” vol. i. p. 439, occurs the following note regarding it: “Plate xiii. A. fig. 3.—E. primigenius. English fossil specimen, with two last true molars on either side. In the last left molar there are eighteen plates in 7·7 inches. The jaw has a short beak, and one inner mentary foramen on either side. In this, as in figs. 1 and 2, representing the jaw at different ages, it is to be noted that the opposite lines of molars are more or less convergent instead of being parallel, or nearly so, as laid down by Cuvier.

It seems to be one of the chief objects of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in changing the place of meeting every year, to bring more prominently before the members of its respective sections such points of interest in their own department of Science as are afforded by the various localities. In accordance with this principle, I beg to lay before you some observations concerning the geology of a district not more distant than about two hours' railway journey from Dublin, which will, I trust, be of peculiar interest on the present occasion. The district I refer to is the hill country north of Dundalk, of which Slieve Gullion forms the most prominent feature. This mountain is a somewhat isolated mass, attaining an elevation of about 1900 feet, and is situated to the north-west of the hilly and picturesque country lying between the bays of Dundalk and Carlingford, or due west of the more remarkable group of the Mourne Mountains.

The question of the geological age of the earth has been of late very prominently before the minds both of geologists and physicists. There is no occasion to take up time by giving a sketch of the late history of the discussion. I beg leave simply to point out some considerations which seem to lessen considerably the weight of the physical objections to the great extent of geological time. Let us observe before proceeding further that we do not wish to avoid wholesome restriction of geological time. It seems to me that it adds greatly to the interest of geological investigation to know that we have not a wilderness of possibility before us as to the length of time and the consequent deliberateness of geological operations.