Mr Pearcey on Preparing Thin Sections of Friable Pocks, etc. 295 



well-recognised English names where such exist; and where 

 they do not, it may be occasionally desirable, as well as 

 harmless, to coin new ones. Occasionally, also, the native 

 names of important foreign species may be given. I only 

 protest against the futility of attempting to imitate or supplant 

 the scientific names by a system of English ones invented 

 and cooked for the purpose. 



Many scientific generic names of plants have, of their own 

 accord, become naturalised in our English speech, such as 

 geranium, rhododendron, calceolaria, but in some cases have 

 become attached to the wrong plant in the most absurd way. 

 Nasturtium, the generic name of the water-cress, a genus of 

 Cruciferse, is now universally applied to the Indian cress — 

 Troi^ceolnm majus — a member of a perfectly different order, 

 Tropseoliacese ; while Syringa, the generic name of the lilac, 

 is applied as a familiar term to the mock orangeblossom, 

 PhilacleliJilins coronaria. Against sucli misapplication of 

 terms we have certainly a strong right to protest. 



And now, gentlemen, it is time for me to fulfil the duty of 

 resigning this Chair, to which, three years ago, you did me the 

 honour of electing me for a second time — an honour for 

 which you have my most sincere and heartfelt thanks. To 

 preside at the meetings of the Society, from which I derived 

 my first idea of the ways and doings of the scientific world, 

 has been to me a source of pride and satisfaction ; and I can 

 only wish for the Society a further career of usefulness and 

 prosperity, and that its Chair may in the future, as in the 

 past, be occupied by a line of Presidents much more worthy 

 of the honour than myself. 



XXI. Method of Consolidating and Preparing Thin Sections of 

 Frialle and Decomposed Rocks, Sands, Clays, Oozes, and 

 other Granulated Substances. By Eked. G. Peakcey, 

 Esq., of the " Challenger " Expedition. [Plate XL] 



(Read 17th December 1884.) 



During the cruise of H.M.S. " Challenger," a-lurge collec- 

 tion of oceanic deposits was obtained, among which were 

 many concretions, soft fossiliferous limestones, decomposed 



