6 MEMOIR OF PENNANT. 



geology and mineralogy. A few years after, lie 

 took a more extensive range to Ireland ; but here 

 ("such was the conviviality of the country") his 

 journal was never fit to he offered to the public. 

 His literary works, at this time, were confined to 

 papers written occasionally for the learned societies ; 

 the first of which, on account of an earthquake felt 

 at Downing, was published without his knowledge. 

 Several others appear at times in the Philosophical 

 Transactions, on geological subjects, and the descrip- 

 tion of fossil remains. It was for one of these that 

 he was elected a member of the Royal Society of 

 Upsal, upon the recommendation of Linnaeus. This 

 he ever considered a very high compliment. " In 

 February 1757, I received the first and greatest of 

 my literary honours. I value myself the more on 

 its being conferred on me at the instance of Linna3us 

 himself. He spoke of my works in terms too fa- 

 vourable for me to repeat." 



The study required for the composition of these 

 papers, and an extensive correspondence with men 

 who were ardent admirers of his own pursuits, sug- 

 gested the publication of some larger work. His 

 attention was turned to the writings of his predeces- 

 sors upon the productions of his own country, and 

 he imagined that some of its rarities yet remained 

 to be described. He also saw that other nations 

 were busily employed in studying whatever could be 

 turned to use in their domestic economy; and in 

 reference to the works which these thoughts imme- 



