CORRRSPONDINC SOOIETIRS. HOO 



found by which to make the most of the progress and to check or remedy the 

 decadence which has set in. It is pleasing to note that already methods have 

 been adopted by several of our societies admirably calculated to do good in the 

 ri"-ht directions. I wish to avoid invidious distinctions, but, as an instance, the 

 system of fruitful and promising co-operation amongst local societies in York- 

 shire, so capably conducted by our indefatigable Vice-President, Mr. Sheppard, 

 may be referre<l to without fear of criticism. 



In some form of Co-operation I believe the remedy to be sought for lies. 

 That word in the present connection is, to my mind, preferable to Federation. 

 Federation connotes a certain amount of subordination of the federated units 

 to the Union. Subordination, however useful, economical, and wholesome, is 

 normally hateful to bodies of the local Field Club kind. The smaller the State 

 the greater its devotion to Liberty. Co-operation, on the other hand, if of the 

 very mild nature which it is my object to suggest, would, I think, much increase 

 the total value of the work done by the smaller societies, satisfy their sense of 

 autonomy, which is always strong, and would provide incentives for cairying out 

 actual observational work by even the least of their members. 



The kind of co-operation advocated, as it must necessarily vary in particulais 

 according to the subject dealt with, will be best understood if I limit myself to 

 explaining its proposed mode of action in connection with Geology — the only 

 branch of science with regard to which I can claim any right to speak. 



The sort of geological work which members of Field Clubs can be supposed 

 to undertake is by no means inconsiderable, but a great deal of what is done as 

 things stand at present is lost either altogether, or lost for the time being, and, 

 like a post-dated' cheque, cannot be made use of when it is most wanted. 

 It consists (o) of long-continued observations having a definite object in view, 

 the final results of which may provide the mat-erials for a memoir of some 

 importance ; or (b) of a number of disconnected records with no one leading object 

 in view to which short notes will do full justice [N.B. — Short notes, oft<>n 

 containing information of the very first importance, are time after time buried 

 in hidden corners of obscure Transactions and Proceedings, and thus lie pcrrhi 

 often for years. They are among.=t the worst features, in one sense, of out-of- 

 the-way local publications] ; or (c) of mere collections, both useful and useless, 

 palseontological or petrological, made according to some sensible plan or not, and 

 which may or may not comprise contributions to science worthy of permanent 

 notice. 



Under (a) many important subjects of investigation may be cited ; for instance, 

 the detailed mapping of stratigraphical subdivisions too small or too poorly 

 defined to be included in maps of the Geological Survey. A gi-eat deal of 

 excellent work of this sort is possible which, wdiile primarily of local value, 

 may become of more general interest and utility if it be carried on simul- 

 taneously in adjoining areas by members of neighbouring clubs. 



Or, if the region have a coast-line, a systematic record of the changes caused 

 by frost, wind, rain, and tide along it, as they take place, carefully kept and 

 entered periodically — say every five or t«n years — in some form agreed upon in 

 common with several other sea-board clubs, must, as the years roll on, become 

 of national importance. The lack of such information was strongly impressed 

 upon me when, a few years ago, I was asked to gather together all the evidence 

 required by the late " Government Inquiry on Coast Erosion relating to the 

 Khoie between Tees and Tweed. The authoritative evidence was scrappy in the 

 extreme, and landslips, w'hich, by their disastrous effects must have created 

 much local interest and excitement at the time of their occurrence, were fre- 

 quently found to be without history of anv kind or else reported by contem- 

 poraries in a manifestly exaggerated or fabulous manner. 



All clubs have rivers, large or small, within their purview. Very few of 

 these rivers, however, are watched day by day or even season by season by 

 careful geological eyes. Yet there is much to be observed in connection with 

 them. The wasting of their banks, the variations in their channels, the rate of 

 their flow in their successive reaches, the constantly changing nature and 

 quantity of the sediments which they carry, the causes and effects of their 

 spates, to say nothing of the chemical examination of their waters — these are all 

 good subjects for investigation by club members living on their banks. One 



