202 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1936 



mittee of the British Association in 1838, and a school of mines for 

 the scientific and technical education of those to be employed in the 

 survey or exploitation of mineral resources. In these objects, and 

 especially the last, he was warmly supported by the Prince Consort. 

 He lived to see his visions all come true, as he collected round him- 

 self that wonderful band of surveyors, investigators, writers, and 

 teachers, which included such men as Playfair, Logan, Eamsay, 

 Aveline, Jukes, Forbes, Percy, Hooker, and Huxley. 



Some of the schemes he planned have budded off and growni into 

 large and important entities, rendering conspicuous service to sci- 

 entific record, education, and research. But the main duties of the 

 Geological Survey remained with it, and have been carried on for a 

 century. These are to map the geology of the country on the largest 

 practicable scale, to describe and interpret the structure of the land, 

 to preserve the evidence on wdiicli conclusions have been founded, 

 and to illustrate for students and other workers the geology of the 

 country and its applications to economics and industry. The broad 

 detail of the structure of the whole country is now known, but much 

 new work must be done to keep abreast of or to lead geological 

 thought. For instance, the study of the cloak of "superficial depos- 

 its", which often cover and conceal the structure of the more solid 

 rocks below, is essential for the proper understanding of soils and 

 agriculture; and a knowledge of the deep-seated geology of the 

 country, which is often widely different from that nearer the surface 

 and thus very difiicult to interpret, is vital to the community for the 

 successful location and working of coal and iron, and for tracing 

 supplies of water and oil and other resources at depth. 



Evolution of life on the earth has been by no means uniform; 

 there have been periods of waxing and waning which may be 

 attributed to geographical, climatological, and biological influences. 

 The development of large land areas, ranged longitudinally or lati- 

 tudinally, the invasion of epicontinental seas, the isolation of medi- 

 terraneans or inland seas, the splitting of continental areas into 

 archipelagos or the reunion of islands into continuous land, the 

 making of barriers by the rearing of mountain chains or the forma- 

 tion of straits or arms of the sea, the oncoming of desert or glacial 

 climates; all such factors and many others have been of importance 

 in quickening or checking competition, and in accelerating or retard- 

 ing the evolution of life. 



Probably, however, even greater effects have followed the inter- 

 action of groups of biological changes on one another. As an in- 

 stance I might recall Starkie Gardner's estimate of the results follow- 

 ing upon the first appearance of grasses in the world. This seems 

 to have been not earlier than Eocene, and probably late Eocene 



