335 



at work being all that he required till he returned to his 

 home in the evening. The care shown in the mounting and 

 neat labelling the collection which he presented to the Insti- 

 tution is noticeable through all he did. His catalogues of 

 our Museum, apart from their scientific value, are well worthy 

 of inspection as probably unrivalled specimens of neat and 

 methodical work. Of all the catalogues of different museums 

 which I have seen I do not recollect one which could be in any 

 way considered superior in these respects. Fresh views and fresh 

 classifications have to some extent rendered these catalogues 

 obsolete, and our Museum is without a catalogue in harmony 

 with the present state of science. Shall we find another William 

 Lonsdale to do for our Museum now what was done more than 

 40 years ago 1 



On May 15th, 1829, he was elected a Fellow of the Geological 

 Society, and in his nomination paper he is described as lieutenant. 

 Unfortunately for Bath he was so well known as an energetic 

 and painstaking curator that he was appointed curator and 

 librarian of the Geological Society of London. His predecessor in 

 that office was Mr. Thomas Webster. I cannot learn the exact 

 date of his leaving Bath, but his name is first printed as curator 

 and librarian in the " Transactions of the Geological Society," vol. 

 iii., part 1, 1829. He held his office from 1829 till 1842, when he 

 was succeeded by the celebrated Edward Forbes. His work during 

 this period was very important, and on several occasions it 

 received direct acknowledgment from the Council of the Society. 

 The care with which he edited the publications of the Geological 

 Society has been frequently spoken of with pleasureable recollec- 

 tions. That the value of his services in this way may be duly 

 understood it should be mentioned that although authors commu- 

 nicating papers to the Society are responsible for the views 

 expressed in them, yet the form in which they appear when 

 published has always depended much on the editor. The amount 

 of supervision exercised has from time to time with different 

 editors varied considerably. Lonsdale in this carried matters with 

 a high hand, and not merely contented with revising proofs and 

 an-anging punctuation, he freely excised and condensed where his 



