Royal society expedition to Montserrat, B. W. I. : Preliminary report on the geology of Montserrat

Abstract This preliminary account of the geology of Montserrat is based on field work carried out between 9 March and 6 May, 1936, and later between 14 May and 3 June. During a visit paid to Martinique (8 to 13 May) three and a half days were devoted to a study of Mt. Pele and its surroundings. In the course of the voyages between Barbados and Montserrat on my outward and homeward passages, I saw from the sea the islands of St. Lucia, Dominica, The Saints, Marie Galante, and Guadeloupe, and during short motor trips in Barbados, St. Lucia, and Dominica gained a further idea of the main topographical features of these islands. While travelling by air from Martinique to Antigua, I had good bird’s eye views of the west and north of Mt. Pele, of the east coast of Dominica, and of Guadeloupe and Antigua. Redonda and Nevis were well seen on clear days from the northern end of Montserrat. To His Excellency Sir Gordon Letham, Governor of the Leeward Islands, and to the Commissioner and acting Commissioners of Montserrat, the Royal Society Expedition is indebted for much kindness, advice, and assistance. I am also most grateful to officials of the Montserrat Department of Agriculture, of the Montserrat Company, and of the local Police Force, as well as to all estate owners and managers, for guidance and information and for the frequent loan of horses and men. Finally, I am greatly indebted to Mr. T. Savage English for placing his extensive local knowledge at my disposal. In Martinique, Mr. F. A. Perret gave me, in field and museum, the benefit of his intimate knowledge of Mt. Pele, while Mr. Meagher, the British Consul at Fort de France, met me on my arrival and helped me in every conceivable way. I am greatly indebted to them for the trouble they took to make my short visit a success.