ss ies he 
3 
neighbourhood of Belfast. During the construction of the 
different lines of railway in this vicinity, he took advan- 
tage of the cuttings to examine the geological sections 
which they displayed ; and he published papers on those 
of the Northern Counties Railway, the County Down Rail- 
way, and on the blasting at Down Hill, County Derry, &e. 
These and similar communications were most usually made 
to the Geological Society of Dublin. In their journal for 
1837, he published the result of his investigations on the 
geology of Fannet, County Donegal ; and an account of a 
land slip near Larne, County Antrim. Both these papers 
were translated into German, and appeared in the journal 
of geology and mineralogy published at Heidelberg. The 
service which Mr. MacAdam has rendered to geological 
science is not so much by the production of the papers he 
has published, nor by the local influence he exercised, as 
by the very large store of valuable materials he has amassed, 
and which yet remain but partially arranged. These 
were collected at much expense, and with much per- 
sonal exertion, during a period of more than twenty 
years, and comprise, it is believed, many species of 
fossils which are as yet undescribed. They embrace 
an extensive series of specimens from the lias, 
the permian, and the cretaceous beds, and more 
especially from the green-sand formation of the 
County Antrim. As a private collection, it un- 
doubtedly ranks as one of the best in Ireland ; a portion 
of it has for some years been freely displayed in the upper 
room of the building in which we are now assembled. The 
papers read by Mr. MacAdam at our various meetings 
are too numerous to be mentioned in detail. They related 
chiefly to the minerals in our collection, to interesting 
phenomena connected with geology in other countries, and 
to the state of geological science, its progress, and changing 
aspects at successive periods. He also delivered some short 
_ courses of lectures. One of these in the winter of 1844 
and 1845 was ‘‘ On the connexion of Natural Science and 
_ Agriculture” The last was a very successful course on 
geology, delivered in this room, towards the close of the 
winter of 1858, undertaken with a view to aid the finances 
of our society. My promise is fulfilled. I have stated facts, 
and leave you to draw your own inferences. One word more 
and I have done. It is our custom to encourage observa- 
tions on the papers read, and in this way very animated 
discussions occasionally arise. Now, I believe that every 
one of our members will bear me out in stating that 
