1903- Maxwell He^iry Close. 303 



for glacial plienomena in Ireland : and stress was again laid, 

 on the independence of the surface-form of the ice-massif and 

 that of the underlying country, which it practically buried 

 during its slow accumulation. 



A paper still better known to British geologists is that on the 

 high-level shell-bearing gravels deposited on the mountain- 

 slopes near Dublin, which appeared in 1874. Mr. Close con- 

 cluded in favour of the deposition of these gravels by the 

 agency of floating ice. Whether that view is finally accepted 

 or no, the paper will always be of value from the emphasis 

 laid upon the drifted character of the shells, as distinct from 

 those found in raised beaches. "The contained marine shells 

 have been brought along with the gravel. Therefore the 

 animals to which the shells belonged lived and died some- 

 where else, towards the north-west." 



In 1878 and 1879, Mr. Close was President of the Royal 

 Geological Societ}^ of Ireland, in which bod}^ he took an active 

 interest until 1888, when its work became gradually merged 

 in that of the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish 

 Academy. In his first presidential address, he adduced physical 

 reasons for believing that the earth's age was far greater than 

 that assigned to it by Sir William Thomson ; and in this 

 matter he has been amply supported by the progress of both 

 geological and phj'^sical opinion. His second address con- 

 tained an important retrospect of the work of Sir Richard 

 John Griffith, in which the successive issues of the first 

 geological map of Ireland are admirably reviewed. 



On November 30th, 1878, Mr. Close was elected Treasurer 

 of the Royal Irish Academy, a post which he filled, with the 

 most conscientious regard for all its details, until his resigna- 

 tion on March i6th, 1903. It may be safely stated that his in- 

 creasing deafness in later year? alone debarred him from 

 occupying the Presidential chair of the Academy, for which 

 his wide antiquarian and scientific knowledge fitted him in so 

 remarkable a degree. He was also, for many years, a member 

 of the science section of the Royal Dublin Society's Council. 



Questions of mathematical physics always attracted him ; 

 and, had he been less modest and considerate ot others, he 

 would have made a powerful controversialist. He was always 

 willing to listen, ejaculating, " Ah— ah ! " in a characteris- 



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