Obituary — R. B. Brochhank. 189 



consideration, and it should certainly have the sanction of a responsible 

 committee. This is desirable not only to prevent the duplication of 

 names and the proposal of unnecessary names, but also on behalf 

 of a good and necessary name, which would thus stand a better chance 

 of being generally adopted. 



Being myself responsible for the proposal of several stratigraphical 

 names 1 can fully understand both the positive and negative advantages 

 of submitting them to a committee, and one practice which such 

 a committee could practically prevent, by refusing to sanction it, is 

 that of giving formal geographical names to divisions which have no 

 greater importance than zones. 



Moreover, there are cases where the same stage is known by different 

 names in different countries, and if such tribunals existed in two or 

 more European countries they might combine to decide which of the 

 two names should be adopted. 



I think the committee might be appointed by the Council of the 

 Geological Society and its members hold office for a term of years, and 

 that it might consist of seven members, with the proviso that one was 

 always chosen from the staff of the Geological Survej^ 



A. J. Juees-Browne. 



Torquay. 



March 9. 



OBITXJ^^E.'^r. 



R. B. BROCKBANK. 



Born 1824. Died January 31, 1912. ' 



The late Eichard Bowman Brockbank, who died at The Nook, 

 Crosby, near Maryport, Cumberland, on January 31, in his 88th year, 

 was a much-esteemed member of the Society of Friends, and was well 

 known in the district around Carlisle as an able farmer and breeder of 

 excellent horses and cattle. To the geologist he is notable as the 

 discoverer of the fact that the shales and limestone bands around 

 Great Orton and Aikton, west of Carlisle, are of Liassic and not 

 (as then supposed) of Carboniferous age. He called the attention 

 of E. W. Binney to the subject, and Binney has described what he 

 saw of the Lias of Cumberland in Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xv, 

 p. 549. More detailed observation, on the part of the present writer, 

 has added but one section to those shown to Binney (see Geol. Survey 

 Mem., Geology around Carlisle). Eor the ground is persistently 

 drift-covered, and any sections in the underlying rocks are very few 

 and small. 



In addition to being shown the positions of sections in the Lias, 

 I have to thank Mr. E. B. Brockbank for much information kindly 

 obtained for me with regard to old borings and observations that would 

 otherwise have remained unnoticed, and which have a special value in 

 a district of this kind. 



T. V. Holmes. 



