186 



Address on the Mineralization of the Minute Tissues of 

 Animals and Plants. 



By Prof. W. C. Williamson, LL.D., F.R.S., Emeritus 

 Professor of Botany in the Owen's College, Manchester. 



{^Delivered December \QtJi, 1892.) 



Although, Mr. President, you are such an old friend, I never- 

 theless believe that this is the first time I have been put under 

 your command, but as I know you will be a very considerate 

 lord and master, I promise most faithfully to submit to your 

 authority. But, now, gentlemeu, I am not quite so sure that I am 

 in equally good humour with some other matters connected with 

 this little affair. I was going to say that in an evil moment, 

 I promised your Secretary if an opportunity ever occurred 

 when I could be of service to the Society which bears the name 

 of one of the oldest friends of my life, I should be very happy 

 to place myself at his disposal, and the result is that you have 

 been drawn here this evening. 



I know what the general character of your work is, and I am 

 afraid that ever since I ceased to be a Rotiferous and Foramini- 

 ferous man, much of the work I have been engaged upon has 

 been very foreign to your pursuits here. However, when I 

 found that I was in for something, the question was, what will 

 interest a group of technical microscopists, and, Mr. President, 

 I was almost at my wits' end to think of a suitable subject. 

 However, I happened of late to have been considering some 

 matters directly connected with microscopy, and I thought 

 I might be able to give my address a form which would not be 

 altogether stupid and uninteresting to you. Anyhow, if I fail, 

 sir, the fault must be mine and not that of my audience. What I 

 aim at speaking about is some of the leading processes connected 

 with the mineralization of plants and animal remains, and the 

 formation by such processes of what we technically call "fossils.' 



