'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From December 1854 to March 1856. (New Issue.) Edited by the Secretary. Volume XII.' [‎67] (84/258)

ANNUAL MEETING, 1855.
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the Governor honouring with his presence the first delivered—a still greater
hosour awaiting it by the reception it met with at home, where it was pub
lished entire in the New Edinburgh Philosophical Journal for April, and with
the following preface, which I certainly should not have inserted here, but
that it is the constant excuse of those who ought to be our most frequent visi
tors, but never in reality cross our threshold, that they would of course at
tend lectures if at home, where they would get something worth hearing—at
Bombay nothing but rubbish was to be looked for and therefore they staid
away :—
“In the following admirable digest, extracted from the Bombay Times (Sept. 28th 1854,) it
is apparently merely for the sake of simplicity,* and for the convenient starting point, that the
author supposes that * the earth assumed its present character and conformation’, either by
having ‘ risen directly,’ or ‘ through a long serious of elevations,’ so that the streams that drain
its surface and the water in its inland hallows, are the result of one or a series of actions of up
heaval, accompanied, however, by ‘stupendous disturbances and frightful distortions amongst
the rocky beds; which ‘ must have occurred at the time of their elevations,’ these being fol-
lowed by ‘ change and commotion’ on a minor scale, examples of which occasionally occur
even down to the present day.
“ Since the revival of the doctrines of Hutton, geologists have been gradually abandoning the
idea of vast disturbances and changes caused by the exercise of forces more sudden and stu
pendous than those of which we have experience ; and it is held by many that the surface con
figuration of existing continents is the result of the complicated action of numerous gradual
upheavals and depressions, and long-continued marine and atmospheric denudations ; during
which through the various epochs of geological time, the same mountain chains were formed
by repeated disturbances, strong, though slow in their operations. Hence some of them in
their early stages, formed the nuclei of existing continents, while other ancient ranges and
tracts of land of continental extent, now form at last part of the bed of the ocean. The existing
drainage of the world is therefore not simply the result of recent great changes of the outlines
of the terrestrial surface; but the origin of many of our systems of drainage, and perhaps even
in some cases of individual rivers must be sought for in disturbances connected with geological
epochs, often far removed. The same is true in a minor degree of areas of depression.'’
Our lectures were interrupted during the month of January by my absence
in Kattiwar and Guzerat—since February I have been almost constantly the
inmate of a sick room ; but having now completely recovered my customary
health and strength, I hope to be able to resume them next Meeting, and to
continue them so long as they are desired. There is never any fear of want
of subjects ; I hope I shall not hereafter find so great a difficulty in obtaining
coadjutors as heretofore.
Chartography. —The following lists of Charts and Maps sent out by the
Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. , or lithographed A lithograph is an image reproduced from a printing plate whose image areas attract ink and non-image areas repel it. or drawn on the spot, has been furnished
us by Government. I observe one omission, that of a Skeleton Physical Atlas,
projected by me in March 1854, and published by the Messrs. Johnstone of
Edinburgh the following June. Of these an ample supply was, I know, or
dered by the India House from the publisher—they do not seem to have been,
forwarded to their destination up to the present time.
* So it was, simply for the sake of simplicity that the illustration was taken. We know
that the surface of the earth is subject to continued upheavals and depressions, and one of the
former of these may be assumed such as must needs give the condition of things required,
without being committed to any length the ordinary doctrines of modern orthodox geology.—G.B.