In the paper on Coniferous Fruits I described in detail the structure of three cones which had originally been described as, and all. along believed to be, Cycadean. These cones were Zamiostrobus macrocephalus, Endl.; Z. ovatus, Göpp; and Z. Sussexiensis, Göpp. In making, in June last, a careful comparison between the version of M. Brongniart's important essay, “Exposition Chronologique des Périodes de Végétation et des Flores diverses qui se sont succédé a la surface de la Terre,” published in the Dict. univ. d’Hist. Nat. 1849, and the version in the Ann. des Sc. Nat., Ser. III., Vol. xi., p. 285, bearing the same date, but which evidently, from the occasional emendations, had had a careful and later revision by its learned author than the copy with which I had heretofore been working, I found that M. Brongniart had already referred two of the species to the genus Pinites. On a foot-note on pp. 317, 318 of the volume quoted he gives the following reason for this change: “Un échantillon de ce fruit (Zamiostrobus macrocephalus) qui vientde m’être communiqué par M. Wetherell, établit d’une m.anière bien positive que ce n’est pas un fruit de Zamia, mais un cône de Pinus ayant tous les caractères de ce genre, relativement à la forme et à la direction des écailes, et à la position des graines géminés a leur base. Quant au Z. Sussexiensis, son analogie avec le précédent me paraît évidente.” To M. Brongniart then belongs the credit of having first correctly determined the affinities of these two cones, and they must be quoted as Pinites macrocephalus, Brongn., and P. Sussexiensis, Brongn.

But a few years since geologists were in the habit of drawing largely from the Bank of time, and the more they drew the greater was the supply they seemed to want, till at last the thought seemed to come quite natural to them that the supply indeed was inexhaustible. Quite lately, however, these time-speculators have had it suggested to them that there is a limit to the supply, and that the countless ages on which they have depended seem to be very probably but some one hundred millions of years, and untold ages to be reckoned by telling numerals.

The accompanying section represents the passage of the Red Chalk, of Speeton, into an underlying bed of dark slaty clay.It exhibits a small section, which was visible in the cliff on the South of Speeton Beck, in September last.

At the commencement of the present year some considerable interest was excited at Cape Town through the announcement in the newspapers that coal had been discovered at the Cape, and pronounced by reputed competent authorities to be of very good quality. Very soon afterwards it was reported, however, that it was not coal but peat, or lignite, and of bad quality; but still the newspapers persisted in calling it “The Coal diggings.” I heard of the discovery on my first arrival at Cape Town, in April last, and resolved to visit the spot at the first opportunity. In the meantime I obtained some information, and also the name of the person who was super intending the working, and on April 24th went to the Klapmuts Station on the Cape Town and Wellington Railway, and walked across to the Joostenberg workings, about five miles from the station.