the Anniversary Meeting of the Geological Society, 1856. 177 



Society, and " with having [in your Journal for October and 

 November 1854] published what I must have known that I had 

 no right to publish." These are grave charges, and in my in- 

 terpretation of them, they involve nothing less than a severe 

 censure on my moral character. For unfair dealing is on all 

 occasions mean and disgraceful; and never more disgraceful 

 than when it is done against the known regulations of a public 

 body. 



There is not perhaps a single geologist of much note in Europe 

 or America who has not read Mr. Hamilton's Anniversary Address; 

 and if there be charges in it which I think unjust and injurious 

 to myself, I am bound to meet them by a public counter statement. 

 It may indeed appear strange that my defence, so far as it is per- 

 sonal, has been so long delayed ; but the delay may be readily ex- 

 plained. It was near the end of the month of April that I first 

 had a hint (from my friend Dr. Fitton) of certain charges that had 

 been brought against me by Mr. Hamilton ; but it was not till 

 several months afterwards that I obtained a copy of his Anni- 

 versary Address. When I received it I was away from the Uni- 

 versity, and without access to a single memorandum that might 

 help to bring before my memory the facts which led to the pub- 

 lication of my paper in your Journal ; and the meetings of the Geo- 

 logical Society had been closed for the summer recess. I was on. 

 both accounts literally compelled to postpone my defence ; but I 

 resolved to make it, if possible, at the first autumnal meeting 

 after the Society was re-assembled. 



In the latter part of the month of October I returned to Cam- 

 bridge, and soon afterwards I had a short correspondence with 

 Mr. Hamilton and Mr. T. R. Jones, which enabled me to correct 

 some mistakes into which I had fallen in the first sketch of my 

 defence ; but on the 10th of November I sent my letter of vin- 

 dication, addressed to the President and Council of the Geological 

 Society, with a request " that as a matter of common justice it 

 might be read at one of their early meetings." A very few days 

 afterwards commenced what I perhaps might call a second cor- 

 respondence between Mr. Hamilton and myself, which ended by 

 a proposition on his part (dated November 20), that I should 

 withdraw my letter to the Council, on the condition that he 

 should make a public statement to the eiFect " that he willingly 

 acquitted me of any intention of infringing the rules of the 

 Society," and " that he regretted the statement he had made 

 under a wrong view of my motives." I readily accepted this 

 condition, and with the consent of the President my letter to the 

 Council was withdrawn. 



After waiting with no small anxiety for the public explanation 

 which might help to set me right with the Geological Society, I 



