and Westleton Beds," on the " Relation of the Glacial Period to the 

 Antiquity of Man," on the " Pre-glacial Drifts of the South of 

 England," and on the "Age of the Valley of the Darent," may, 

 perhaps, be described as the more important. 



It was while living at Oxford that he produced, in 1886 and 1887, 

 his great work in two volumes on " Geology, Chemical and Physical, 

 Stratigraphical and Palaeontological." In this work he not only 

 brought forward many arguments against carrying the doctrine of 

 uniformity too far in attempting to read the history of the earth, but 

 at the same time he showed some signs of reverting to theories 

 involving more of cataclysmic action than most modern geologists are 

 willing to allow. As a whole, however, his book is a monument of 

 patient and conscientious work, and is likely long to retain the 

 high position that it holds at present in geological literature. 



As already stated, Mr. Prestwich was elected a Fellow of the 

 Geological Society so long ago as 1833. From 1856 onwards he for 

 many years served the Society as Treasurer, becoming President for 

 two years, from 1870 to 1872. Already in 1849 the Wollaston Medal 

 had been awarded him for his researches at Coalbrookdale and in the 

 London Basin. 



In 1853 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and at 

 intervals served upon its Council, during seven years in the aggre- 

 gate. In 18701871 he was a Vice-President of the Society. One 

 of the Royal Medals was awarded to him in 1865 for his contribu- 

 tions to geological science. 



In France the name of Prestwich was almost as well known as in 

 England. He was one of the oldest members of the French 

 Geological Society, and when it was assembled at Boulogne, in 1880, 

 he was appointed President of the meeting. In 1885 he was elected 

 a Corresponding Member of the Institut (Academie des Sciences). 

 He was also a Foreign Member of the Accademia dei Lincei, at Rome, 

 of the Geological Institute of Vienna, and of various academies in 

 Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States of America. When the 

 International Geological Congress met at London in 1888, the esteem 

 with which he was regarded by geologists of all nationalities was 

 shown by his unanimous election as President of the Congress. 



He retired from the Geological Chair at Oxford in 1888, to the 

 great regret of his brother professors, and of his numerous friends in 

 that University, which conferred upon him in the same year, as a 

 tribute of esteem, the honorary degree of D.C.L. After his retire- 

 ment he resided for the most part at his delightful country house, 

 Darent Hulme, Shoreham, Kent, which he built, in accordance with 

 his own tastes some twenty-seven years ago, and every room and wall 

 of which brought to mind some subject of geological interest, either 

 in material or decoration. There he actively continued his scientific 



