xxxiv Annual Report of the ConnczL 



years later he materially aided Sir Charles Lyell, acting as 

 his guide in Nova Scotia. Since 1843 he has contributed 

 largely to the Proceedings of the London Geological Society 

 and to many other scientific societies. In addition, he has 

 published separate books on various subjects, the most im- 

 l)ortant of which are connected with North American geology. 

 His two volumes on the Devonian and Carboniferous Flora of 

 Eastern North America, published by the Geological Survey of 

 Canada are the standard works on the subject. He was the 

 discoverer of the Eozoon cauadeuse in the Laurentian Lime- 

 stones, which he considered to be the oldest known form of 

 animal life, and not a mere inorganic aggregation of minerals. 

 He wrote also numerous books intended for the instruction 

 of the people, such as, the " Story of the Earth and 

 Man," "The Dawn of Life," "The Origin of the World," 

 " Fossil Men and their Modern Rei)resentatives," " The Chain 

 of Life in the Geological Time," and others in which he took 

 the side of orthodoxy against the doctrine of evolution as 

 expounded by Darwin ; they are full of interesting facts and do 

 not present a trace of polemic rancour. His book on his 

 travels in Egypt and Syria is an excellent popular exposition of 

 the geology and physical geography of those countries in relation 

 to Biblical history. We cannot fail to admire the indomitable 

 energy of a man who did all this multifarious work while he was 

 fully occupied in the administration of a great University. 



\n 1850 Sir William Dawson was ajipointed principal of the 

 McGill University, an office which he held to 1893. The 

 tenure of his office was remarkable for the progress which the 

 University made, and for the work which he did outside the 

 University in the general education of Canada. It is little less 

 than miraculous that he should have been able to spare time 

 from his administrative duties to carry on investigations in 

 geology and geography. He was fortunate in receiving in his 

 lifetime due honour for his work. He was Fellow of the Royal 

 and Geological Societies. In 1882, the Lyell medal of the 

 Geological Society in London was awarded to him and he 



