230 



THE ADDRESS 



Of the retiring President, G. P. Bevan, Esq., M.D., F.G.S., read in his absence 

 before the Members of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club, at their 

 Annual Meeting, held in Hereford, on Tuesday, January 25th, 1859, by the 

 Chairman, The Rev. J. F. Crouch. 



Gentlemen of the Woolhope Club, 



The time has arrived when in accordance with the rules of our Society, I 

 give up the reins of office to a new and worthier successor, and I do so the more 

 gladly as I feel on looking back at the past year, that I have ill performed those 

 duties which devolved upon me on undertaking the honourable post to which 

 your kindness elected me. Whatever may have been my shortcomings as 

 President of this Club, I can assure you that in ardent love for the science of 

 Natural History, and particularly in interest for the welfare of our body, I yield 

 to none. My chief difficulties during the past year have been, first, an accession 

 of work to which I did not at all look forward at the commencement of the year, 

 and secondly, the great distance at which I reside from our head-quarters, and 

 indeed from the whole district which is the scene of our labours. The very earth 

 iteslf has conspired against me in this matter, for although a Welshman, I am not 

 so good a Silurian as I ought to be ; and living amongst Coal Measures, I have been 

 obliged, and I must say, not very unwillingly, to devote my principal attention 

 to that interesting formation. In almost every science each man has his speciality, 

 and in geology, more particularly, a speciality is necessary — for although every 

 geologist should be fairly up in the general principles and features of all the rocks 

 that compose our earth's surface, yet few of us can ever hope to reach the general 

 perfect knowledge of aLyell or a Mantell — but each in his department can carefully 

 and thoroughly work out that formation in which circumstances have placed him ; 

 and even should he not succeed in becoming an authority in his department, the 

 very humblest observer, if he observe with care and caution, is contributing to the 

 more solid foundation of existing knowledge, and adding his mite to the ever 

 increasing train of discovery. 



It is the duty of the retirmg President to chronicle the events of the past 

 year in the proceedings of the Club, more particularly with regard to the excursions. 

 With your permission, then, I intend in my address, first, to touch briefly upon 

 the affairs of the Club, and second, to give a short outline of the geological events 

 and discoveries that have taken place in the past year in the Palaeozoic formations. 

 First, then, the state of the Club, upon which, as regards the number of Members 

 and the commercial state of affairs, we may congratulate ourselves and our 

 Secretaries, though I fear they have often more trouble than they should have in 

 obtaining the current subscriptions. But while congratulating ourselves on our 

 full lists, we have to deplore a vacancy which will be long ere it is filled up. Death 

 has robbed us of one of our Members — one, whose knowledge of science and 

 contributions to geological discovery not only reflected honour on the Club of 

 which he was so promment a Member, but also on the whole body of EngUsh 

 geologists. As a geologist, we are aU aware how honourably the name of the 



