1802 A. Erongmart; Lord Webb Seymour 215 



had passed since the overthrow of the Monarchy. The 

 third guest, Charles Etienne Coquebert de Montbret, was a 

 naturalist who, having served in various consular employ- 

 ments, was now sent to this country as consul-general 

 specially charged with the affairs of the French prisoners 

 of war in England. He was appointed to the Legion of 

 Honour in the following year and in 1809 the title of Baron 

 was conferred on him. On four subsequent occasions this 

 year he dined with the Club. 



Besides these more or less official personages one notable 

 man of science found his way to England this year the 

 famous chemist, geologist and mineralogist Alexandre 

 Brongniart, who besides his contributions to science did so 

 much to improve the ceramic arts in France. He dined with 

 the Club twice in the autumn. More than twenty years 

 later he was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. 



The home visitors this year included a few who had not 

 previously been entertained. One of these, Lord Webb 

 Seymour, son of the Duke of Somerset, was elected F.R.S. 

 on nth November this year. He settled in Edinburgh 

 where he became the intimate friend of Playfair, Hall and 

 the other members of the little group of geologists who 

 were contending against the Wernerian doctrines espoused 

 and promulgated by Robert Jameson from the natural 

 history chair in the University. He took part with Playfair 

 in the examination of the classic sections of intrusive granite 

 veins in Glen Tilt which had so delighted Hutton, whose 

 interpretation of them had been contemptuously rejected 

 by the followers of Werner. Lord Webb Seymour prepared 

 the important conjoint memoir embodying the results of 

 their examination which was published in 1816 in the 

 seventh volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society of 

 Edinburgh. Lord Webb dined twice with the Club, the first 

 time just before and the second immediately after his elec- 

 tion into the Royal Society. Among the familiar faces that 

 appeared at the Club's table were those of Sir William 

 Hamilton, Captain Bligh, Sir James Hall, Mendoza y Rios 

 and others. 



