238 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vi. 



receive the name of the "Permian " system, from Perm, a Rus- 

 sian Government, where these strata are more extensively devel- 

 oped than elsewhere, occupying an area twice the size of France, 

 and containinf>' an abundant and varied suite of fossils. The 

 name Permian is now generally adopted. 



In 1854 Sir Roderick published the first edition of his best- 

 known work, '' Siluria," which had, in 1867, reached its fourth 

 edition, and contains 566 pages 8vo. of closely printed matter, 

 41 plates and explanations. 



In 1855 he produced a memoir in conjunction with Prof. 

 Morris on the German Pala30zoic rocks, and shows that there is 

 DO break between the Permian system and the Triassic series. 



By the death of Sir H. T. dc la Beche, Sir Roderick, in 

 1855, succeeded to the post of Director General of the Geologi- 

 cal Survey and the Museum of Practical Geology in Jermyn 

 Street, w^hich have owed their efficiency for the past fifteen years 

 very largely to his energy and constant attention. 



Sir Roderick 3Iurchison will long be remembered both in the 

 world of science and of commerce in connexion with the discovery 

 of gold in Australia. Long years before the actual discovery of 

 gold in Australia was made known, he inferred the presence of 

 auriferous deposits in the Australian mountain- ranges from the 

 analogy which existed between their rock formations and those of 

 the Ural mountains, with the phj^sical characters of which he 

 had made himself familiar. He endeavoured most earnestly at 

 the time to awaken the attention of the Home Government to the 

 great importance of the subject to our colonies in the Southern 

 hemisphere, but with little success. 



Burins: his scientific career he has been identified most inti- 

 mately with the Geological Society, He acted as Secretary for 

 five years, was elected President in 1831-2, and again in 1842-3. 



He aided Sir B;!vid Brewster, in 1830, to establish the British 

 Association, of which for several years he acted as General Sec- 

 retary. He was President at the Meeting for 1846, at South- 

 ampton. 



In 1844 he was elected President of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, and again in 1845, in 1852, and in 1856; indeed, he 

 has held the Presidential chair of that Society almost down to 

 the present time ; having been succeeded only a few months ago 

 by Sir Henry Rawlinson. 



His energetic efforts in advocatino; the search after Sir John 



.j^V.VXV, ^.w- ».. ..^ Q 



