196 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
parish in Ireland. He still continued his work in connexion 
with the Dublin Society. He writes, in 1826, that he had never 
lost sight of his intention to make a perfect Geological Map of 
Treland, and that he never misses an opportunity of making 
accurate geological observations. By the year 1828 he had made 
extensive additional surveys, and had presented numerous addi- 
tional geological and mining reports to the Royal Dublin Society, 
so that he could then say, “ There is no part of Ireland in the geo- 
logical examination of which I have not made considerable pro- 
gress,’ and he hopes at no distant period to complete his map. It 
is desirable to mention this here to show that his map in its 
inception, and the earlier part of its progress, was quite unconnected 
with the Valuation Survey, which we have now to mention, 
although it afterwards proved so useful in connexion with that 
Survey. Its purpose was, in the first place, scientific; the practi- 
cal objects to which it might subserve would, of course, not be 
despised, but they were regarded as of secondary rank. 
In 1829 he was appointed Commissioner of the Valuation Sur- 
vey of Ireland, the Bill for which had been passed three years 
before. He eagerly embraced the great opportunities afforded by 
this work for the completion of his map. What made the last 
two appointments so specially to be prized was the fact, not only 
that they involved his visiting every part of Ireland, but, also, 
that as the surveys were quite distinct, and their objects quite 
unconnected, and as they together extended over more than a 
quarter of a century, his repeated visits to different districts 
would occur at times separated by considerable intervals. Thus 
he had means of verifying or correcting former observations or 
conclusions, not only in the light of his own increased knowledge 
of the general facts, but also in that of progressing geological 
science. He himself tells us that for the improvement and com- 
pletion of his map he found it necessary to revisit every district 
and nearly every parish in Ireland at least three times; and he 
tells us elsewhere that much exertion was used by him to keep 
pace with modern discoveries and views. Seldom has there been 
such a remarkable concurrence of a recognised want, the eminently 
suitable agent for supplying that want, and ample opportunity 
for the effectual working of that agent. He was now obliged to 
resign his office of Professor of Geology and Mining Engineer to 
