A YORKSHIRE NATURALIST 51 



father brought me a letter, just arrived from Dr. 

 Phillips, which reopened in a definite way the 

 subject of my removal. Thus the mere chance of 

 my passing a certain point where a coach was 

 standing but for a couple of minutes determined my 

 future career. The letter in question invited me to 

 meet the Council of the Manchester Natural History 

 Society on an appointed day, for the consideration 

 of my election to the curatorship of their museum. 

 This summons brought matters to a decision. The 

 invitation, coming in so definite a shape, was duly 

 considered in a friendly council with Mr. Weddell, 

 who, unwilling to let his own interests interfere with 

 mine, offered to resign my indentures of apprentice- 

 ship. So, on the day fixed, I found myself face to 

 face with the Manchester council, by whom I was 

 at once appointed to the curatorship, and entered 

 upon the duties of my office towards the close of 

 September 1835. 



It may not be undesirable at this point to sketch 

 rapidly the scientific researches that were in pro- 

 gress in North-Eastern Britain during the earlier 

 part of the present century. As may naturally be 

 expected, the young science of Geology came promi- 

 nently to the front, for two reasons. 



This was the field hitherto comparatively neglected, 

 but which now held out the greatest promise of 

 reward to its investigators. The labours of Smith 

 had furnished students of the science with definite 

 standards, especially based on observations made in 



