510 DEATH OF DR. SMITH. — BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



from plants, in making us better acquainted with the systems 

 of which the latter are destitute. — W. W. — Weimar. 



THE 



MAGAZINE OF NATUKAL HISTORY. 

 October, 1839. 



Amongst the Short Communications in our present Number, will be 

 found some brief particulars relating to the death of Dr. William Smith, 

 whose sudden decease took place, on the 28th of August last, whilst vi- 

 siting at the house of George Baker, Esq., the author of the well-known 

 work on the History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire. Having but 

 a short time since seen this acknowledged founder of the English school 

 of Geology, in the apparent enjoyment of the most robust health, and in 

 the possession of bodily and mental powers that rendered him still fresh 

 and eager for employment in the field of scientific research, it was with 

 no small share of painful surprise, that we received intelligence of the 

 melancholy event. 



The attention of our readers has been so lately drawn to his history, 

 in the biographical sketch of his life and writings which appeared in this 

 Journal a few months since, from the pen of Professor Phillips, and the 

 great geological importance of his early observations is so universally 

 admitted, that it is not necessary for us to extend our tribute of respect 

 to his memory, beyond a passing allusion to his decease. We cannot, 

 however, refrain from expressing the high gratification which we feel 

 that it should have been in our power to give publicity to so faithful a 

 representation of the ■ Father of English Geology,' as the admirable 

 likeness which accompanied the above-mentioned Memoir. 



The columns of the 'Athenaeum ' have on this, as on former occasions, 

 for several weeks been principally occupied with reports of the Proceed- 

 ings transacted during the late assembling of the British Association ; 

 and though the Birmingham meeting, from peculiar circumstances, had 

 its proportion of attending members reduced, there appears to have been 

 a very fair supply of communications brought under the consideration 

 of the different sections. In the Natural History department we observe 

 that Messrs. Forbes and Goodsir furnished a joint account of a visit paid 

 by those gentlemen to the islands of Shetland and Orkney, during which 

 they appear to have made some particularly interesting additions to our 

 marine invertebrate Fauna, in the discovery of a very large Tubularia, 



