SECRETARY TO THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 419 



' 16, Belgrave Square, 31st May, 1850. 



1 At a meeting of the Council of the British Associ- 

 ation held yesterday I was named President of section 

 C (or Geology and Geography), with jiourselfand James 

 Nicol as secretaries for our special science, and with A. 

 Keith Johnston for geography. 



1 As I moved that you be placed in this office, and 

 as my motion passed unanimously (and indeed with ac- 

 clamation in a full meeting, Professor Kelland from 

 Edinburgh being present), I trust you will not allow 

 anything to prevent your accepting it. I honestly con- 

 fess that no honour could be more gratifying to me than 

 to occupy the geological chair in my native country, and 

 if I know that the author of the Old Red Sandstone will 

 be one of the secretaries, I shall be still more proud, for 

 I consider that we come from the same nook of land, 

 the Black Isle and Cromarty being inseparable/ 



He replied as follows : 



'Accept my best thanks for the great and unex- 

 pected honour you have done me in proposing me as 

 one of the secretaries for the Geological Section of the 

 British Association at its coming meeting. I am afraid 

 my qualifications for the office are not of the highest 

 kind, my newspaper, too, will engage much of my time, 

 and my health for the last few years has not been very 

 strong ; but I feel that I could scarce decline the ap- 

 pointment without, at least, appearing to fail in respect 

 to the Council of the Association and in gratitude to 

 you. I shall, therefore, do my best to fulfil its duties, 

 trusting that the good nature of the Association may 

 excuse my shortcomings, and the activity and business 

 habits of my coadjutor, Professor Nicol, more than com- 

 pensate for them. I have, I think, some curious things 

 to set before the English geologists illustrative of the 



