Vll 



Alps, of presumed Triassic age, of Orthoceratites and Belemnites 

 together, forms hitherto supposed to have been widely separated 

 in time and distinctive of systems, of which each was considered 

 to be one of the most remarkable organisms. 



(See President of the Geological Society's anniversary Address, 

 in the Geological Quarterly Journal, May, 1856, page Ixvi-lxviii.) 



" These are ' hard lines' for those who will persist in drawing 

 them, particularly when taken in connection with a proposition of 

 Mr. Alfred Wallace (referred to in the same Address, page cxiii.) 

 ' That every species has come into existence coincident both in 

 space and time, with a pre-existing closely allied species.' Al- 

 though Mr. Hamilton, the President, remarks that he thinks ' It 

 may be doubted whether this assumed law can be maintained as a 

 universal generalization,' this is a question which has not been 

 and must be fairly worked out, and must therefore long remain an 

 open one amongst Geologists and Palaeontologists who are worthy 

 Members of such Associations as ours, who humbly, reverently, 

 and conscientiously, venture to approach the veil of the Shrine of 

 the Great Designer, as nearly as the traces of His presence in His 

 works, as revealed to their limited capacities may lead them, how- 

 ever distasteful the attempt may be to those, with whose little 

 theories (the inflating power of their ' bubble reputations') it may 

 interfere. 



"'Let us pray' that we may be enabled to attach less import- 

 ance, in all our undertakings as a body, to the gratification of 

 petty conceits and personal vanities, the exhibition of mere low 

 cunning and grumbling astuteness, than to the philosophical con- 

 templation, the truthful appreciation, and thankful admiration of 

 the works of the Creator. 



" I fear I have somewhat Germanized some of my sentences, 

 but really have not time to revise them, which pray excuse. 



" At the dinner table our members were augmented by the pre- 

 sence of Mr. Lysons and party, who had met us at Drybrook. 



" After the usual amount of pleasant discussion and interchange 

 of ideas, a delightful day closed, and each one ' went to his place.' 



" I ought, perhaps, to have inserted elsewhere in my report, but 

 mention here, that an exceedingly good specimen of an Astacus, 

 found by Miss Slatter, in the Great Oolite, of Stratton, near 

 Cirencester, was exhibited by myself. " 



July 15th, 1856. Journey to Avebury. A small party, includ- 

 ing the Rev. Canon Powell and Mr. Thomas Warner, met to 

 breakfast at the Swindon Station Hotel, whence proceeding to the 

 hospitable residence of the Kev. H. Light, after inspecting the 

 many objects of interest he so kindly introduced to our notice, 

 we wended our way to the far-famed Avebury Circles. Here Mr. 

 Light having first made a ground plan of the Circles, marking 

 both the existing stones and places of the absent ones, we were 

 by this assisted by the Kev. Gentleman's tact and local know- 



