270 Royal Society, 



recurrence of the cycle of the subjects which are successively enti- 

 tled to the Royal Medals, to make a similar award to his colleague 

 and fellow-labourer in this very interesting and important series of 

 investigations. It is not for me to attempt to balance the relative 

 claims and merits, in connection with this subject, of these two 

 very eminent philosophers ; it is quite sufficient to remark that the 

 first who ventured to approach this difficult and long-neglected in- 

 quiry was the first also who was selected for honour : but I have long 

 noticed with equal pride and satisfaction the perfect harmony with 

 which they have carried on their co-ordinate labours, apparently in- 

 difterent to every object but the attainment of truth, and altogether 

 superior to those jealousies which too frequently present themselves 

 amongst rival and contemporaneous labourers in the same depart- 

 ments of science, 



I regret to observe that the second Royal Medal for the present 

 year has not been awarded, and that it has consequently lapsed to 

 the Executors of his late Majesty. It was proposed that it should be 

 given to the best Memoir presented to the Royal Society between 

 the years 1834- and 1837, containing " Contributions towards a 

 System of Geological Chronology, founded upon an examination of 

 Fossil Remains and their attendant Phaenomena ;" a subject of the 

 greatest interest, and also of the greatest delicacy, from its con- 

 nexion with those agitating topics which the speculations of philo- 

 sophers are compelled to approach, though they may not always 

 venture to decide. I should have rejoiced to have seen in the 

 Transactions of the Royal Society a record of the opinions of a 

 Buckland or a Sedgwick upon a theme which is so worthy of the 

 application of their highest powers ; and I trust that, though its an- 

 nouncement as a Prize Question has failed to secure, within the 

 prescribed period, the accomplishment of the object proposed by it, 

 it Avill still have done some service to the cause of science by ex- 

 citing the attention of geologists in such a manner as may sooner 

 or later lead to a definite and philosophical exposition of their 

 views on a subject of so much importance. 



Those who have attended to the Tidal researches of Mr. Whe- 

 well must be aware how much light has been thrown upon the 

 character and course of the phaenomena of the tides by the simul- 

 taneous observations, under his instructions, which were made in 

 the month of June, 1834 and 1835, at nearly five hundred sta- 

 tions of the Coast Guard Service in Great Britain and Ireland, 

 and sinmltaneously with the latter also at more than one hundred 

 stations in America, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Holland, 

 Denmark, and Norway. These observations were undertaken by 

 the authority or through the influence of the Government of this 

 country, which likewise most promptly and liberally furnished the 

 requisite funds and assistance for reducing the observations in 

 such a manner as was requisite for deducing general conclusions 

 from them, a labour much too extensive and costly to be under- 

 taken by any single individual. I gladly seize this opportunity of 

 bearing testimony, occupying as I do the highest scientific station 



