SKETCH OF SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, LL.D., F.G.S. 697 



cal grooves in which it ran, and if on returning to Rockfield, after 

 the worries of the office or the hardships of the forest, there had been 

 more of the attractions of home, his life would have been happier and 

 possibly even longer than it was. . . . Earnestness and singleness of 

 purpose were among the most marked features of Sir William's char- 

 acter. From the time that he began the geological survey until the 

 day of his death, the great aim which was perpetually before him was 

 to thoroughly elucidate the geology of Canada, and to render the 

 knowledge acquired subservient to the practical purposes of life and 

 to the advancement of his native country. He was continually beset 

 with requests to examine and report upon mines in various parts of 

 the country, but invariably refused unless he felt that the information 

 derived would be of advantage to the public. Nor would he, on any 

 such occasion, accept of remuneration for his services. Any bona fide 

 attempt on the part of individuals or companies to develop the mineral 

 resources of the country was sure of his encouragement and advice if 

 asked for ; but the impostors who tried to palm off " salted " mines 

 or impossible geological discoveries upon the unsuspecting public he 

 despised, and always took an intense pleasure in exposing their 

 schemes. . . . 



" Sir William had little capacity for literary work, and, although 

 he usually expressed himself with precision and force, his style was 

 lacking in ease and gracefulness. Fine writing, however, was not his 

 object, but rather to describe in simple language the results of obser- 

 vations in the field. ... As he advanced in life, he found the work of 

 composition more and more arduous. For some years before his death 

 he contributed nothing to the literature of science, and even ordinary 

 correspondence became increasingly distasteful to him." 



Logan was a member of more than a dozen learned societies ; his 

 degree of LL. D. was bestowed by McGill University in 1856, and that 

 of D. C. L. by the University of Lennoxville the year before. Over 

 twenty medals, and various other testimonials, show the esteem in 

 which his work was held. His most important writings have already 

 been mentioned ; some other papers were, " On the Footprints occur- 

 ring in the Potsdam Sandstone of Canada," " On the Division of the 

 Azoic Rocks of Canada into Huronian and Laurentian," " Considera- 

 tions relating to the Quebec Group and the Upper Copper-bearing 

 Rocks of Lake Superior," etc. 



