i86 4 CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF LAKES 281 



remember, when of all the geologists of weight, you, 

 Sir, were the first who held out the hand of fellowship 

 to me, a young man, when four-and-twenty years ago 

 I was struggling to enter into the ranks of geologists. 



With the close of his second Anniversary address 

 the reign of the President of the Society came to an 

 end. Ramsay vacated the office, and was now re 

 lieved of duties which, though not onerous, impose 

 sometimes considerable strain on the occupant, and 

 consume not a little of his time. 



His views on the origin of lakes involved him in 

 controversy which at this time he was little fitted to 

 wage. Murchison, in his presidential address to the 

 Geographical Society, had vigorously opposed the 

 glacial theory of lakes. Ramsay had refrained from 

 replying to other criticisms, feeling that if his views 

 were correct they would prevail, and that if they were 

 not, no amount of partisanship on his part would save 

 them from dissolution. But when his own chief put 

 out an exceedingly authoritative protest against his 

 theory, he felt that it would almost be uncourteous on 

 his part to remain silent. Accordingly, he wrote a 

 temperate but cogently-argued reply, which appeared 

 in the October number of the Philosophical Magazine. 

 His letters about this time are full of reference to the 

 subject, showing that though he published little, he was 

 following with the most lively interest what was said 

 on the subject by others. 



He wrote to me on the 1 5th May : Altogether I am 

 quite pleased with the rapid progress the lake-theory 

 has made. Lyell amazes me in the matter. He told 

 me the other day that it must be wrong, and he be 

 lieved that the hollows were due only to the disturb 

 ance of the rocks. ... Have you brooded patiently 



