Roi/al SocUtij, 46 i 



In eulogizing the Foreign Members, the learned President 

 spoke of the name of Haliy as one that would always be re- 

 membered in the history of mineralogy, in consequence of his 

 haAnng established what may be considered as a mathematical 

 character in detecting mineral species. He mentioned De- 

 lambre, the learned Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences 

 at Paris, with great praise, as an excellent astronomer, and 

 candid and liberal historian of his own science, and an able 

 observer, whose name will be for ever associated with the first 

 accurate measurement of an arc of the meridian in France. 

 M. Bertholiet he called the patriarch of modern chemistr}'. 

 He dwelt on his discoveries and labours at some length, and 

 paid a just tribute to the candour and liberality of his mind, 

 to his warm and zealous patronage of rising genius, and to his 

 quiet and amiable social virtues. 



Sir H. j3avy then read the list of members admitted into 

 the Society since the last anniversary, amongst v/hom were the 

 Rt. Hon. Robert Peel; Mr. Dakon," of Manchester; Dr. Kidd, 

 Professor oi' Chemistry at Oxford ; Mr. Thomson ; Mr. R. 

 Phillips ; Mr. Rennie ; the Right Hon. Nic. Vansittart ; and 

 M. Decr.ndolle on the Foreign hst. He then proceeded to state 

 the decision of the Council on the awai'd of the medal on 

 Sir Godfrey Copley's donation, which he stated they had this 

 year adjudged to the Rev. William Buckland, for his paper on 

 the Fossil Bones and Teeth found in a Cave near Kirkdale in 

 Yorkshire. In the bejxinninfr of his discourse, the learned 

 President said that this was the first time a paper on a subject 

 of pure geological research had been honoured by this mark 

 of distinction. He then entered into some general views of 

 the progress of geology, which necessarily made but slow ad- 

 vances, till mineralogy, which furnished its alphabet, and che- 

 mistry and comparative anatomy its logic, had advanced to 

 the scale of exact sciences. He said that by tlie zeal and ac- 

 curate spirit of observation of our contemporaries, more had 

 been effected within the last twenty years than in the whole 

 time preceding them. He mentioned generally some of the 

 most succcsstui labourers iti the field of research, amongst 

 v/hom he said Professor Buckland was highly distinguished 

 by his indefatigable ardour for incpiiry, and by his camion and 

 sagacity in drawing conclusions. Professor BucklaniPs for- 

 mer works had considerably contributed to elucidate and ad- 

 vance his favourite science; but in this paper, by his industry 

 and happy talent for observation, an epoch was distinctly mark- 

 ed in the mineral history of the globe. The learned President 

 then, tor the purpose of illustrating the subject, gave a gene- 

 ral view of the constitution of" the known part of the surface 



of 



