reflecting on the University of Cambridge. 281 



the plates, by the help of an Irish artist, during the following 

 winter. In this hope he was entirely disappointed ; and on his 

 return to Cambridge near the end of April 1853, his work was 

 for some weeks retarded by the unavoidable absence of Mr. 

 West, our artist. Much of the letter-press was however struck 

 off; and on the return of Mr. West the work was pressed for- 

 ward by almost incessant labour. A very vexatious, and to me 

 a rather costly accident, so much retarded the final completion 

 of the plates, that Professor M'Coy was again compelled to leave 

 Cambridge ; and, to our joint mortification, the publication of 

 the Third Fasciculus was necessarily postponed till the spring 

 of 1854. 



These dates can have but little interest to the reader; but 

 they form a part of my vindication and apology. 



In like manner the First Fasciculus was more than two years 

 in hand before its publication. Its plates of corals were, I be- 

 lieve, all struck off in 1849; but the work was published in 

 May 1851 : and out of this latter date an utterly groundless 

 imputation of unfair dealing has been insinuated against Pro- 

 fessor M'Coy. 



When he had left Cambridge at the end of the summer va- 

 cation of 1853, there was no longer the shadow of a plea for any 

 further delay in the publication of this Reply ; and it would 

 have been sent to the press in November or December last but 

 for a serious attack of illness, which has made me, for almost 

 four months, incapable of undertaking even the humblest intel- 

 lectual task. Such is my apology to Professor M'Coy, and to 

 those who are interested in the fossil history of our Palaeozoic 

 deposits ; and I conclude by expressing a hope that the following 

 statements may be thought worthy of a place in your scientific 

 Journal. 



I have the honour to be. 

 Gentlemen, 

 Your faithful Senant, 



A. Sedgwick. 



Cambridge, March 4, 1854. 



Reply, 6fc. 



The first statement on which I am called upon to bestow some 

 words of comment I shall immediately subjoin. The second 

 statement appears word for word in Professor M'Coy's letter : 

 and I may here remark, that although the subjoined quotation 

 is word for word, the italics are my omti — the passages having 



