Address of the President: OUtmry. Sir F. Chantrey. 545 



dicate the desiderata to be accomplished, must make himself master 

 of numerous foreign works. An active observer cannot well exe- 

 cute such a task. On the other hand, if your President should simply 

 review the last year's proceedings of our own Society, he will but 

 poorly serve you, for our abstracts make you well acquainted with 

 the prominent facts and opinions of the authors. I will, therefore, 

 adopt a middle course, and without attempting a complete sketch of 

 the progress of geology, or tiring you with a dry analysis of our 

 performances, permit me to select for your consideration what I con- 

 sider to be the chief subjects of present geological interest, whether 

 foreign or British, and so class them that their bearing upon the 

 advance of our science may at once be seized. If in so doing I 

 should fail to illustrate points which some of you may consider to 

 be better suited to this address than those which I bring before you, 

 I trust you will recollect how brief is the season during which I 

 have been able to detach myself from my own line of inquiry, and 

 how imperfectly, therefore, I have been able to study the works of 

 my contemporaries. 



OBITUARY. 



Before we enter upon the consideration of the progress of geo- 

 logy, let us pay our homage to the memory of those deceased Fel- 

 lows M'ho laboured to promote our science. 



On this occasion we have to mourn over one whose genius has 

 won for himself an imperishable name. By the purest feeling of 

 the beauties of nature, by the manly simplicity of his character, and 

 by his sterling good sense, Chantrey was led to his peculiar excel- 

 lences as an artist. Admiring him for his unrivalled excellence in 

 art, we geologists loved him also for the endearing qualities of the 

 man. 



Sir Francis Chantrey was a member of our Council, a frequent 

 attendant both at our social meetings and in the rooms of the 

 Society, and on all occasions was happy to serve us, though invari- 

 ably on one condition, that he was never put prominently forward. 

 If then his presence has often debarred us from expressing in his 

 hearing those sentiments of esteem with which he inspired us, we 

 have this day, alas, the opportunity of giving full utterance to our 

 sorrow. Even as working geologists his memory has claims upon 

 us in more than one department of our own science. Lest his bio- 

 graphers should not glean the facts, I must now state that we have 

 benefited by his sound advice concerning the application of colours 

 to our geological maps, and on the best means for preserving or- 

 ganic remains, which presented difficulties from their size, their 

 condition, or the nature of the rock in which they were imbedded; 

 and upon several occasions he has assisted us by superintending the 

 nioulding of osteological specimens which have been brought to this 

 country, and of which it was important to obtain casts. Indeed at 

 all times was his assistance freely given where it could be useful, 

 and his chisel even has been employed in dissecting from their ma- 

 trix the bones of fossil reptiles. 



Snatched i'rom us in the zenith of his bright career, the strong 



