Obituary— Robert Etheridge, F.R.8. L. 8^ K, F.G.8. 45- 



at large, and he was greatly esteemed as an ofiScer in the Museum^ 

 whilst his energy and activity of disposition enabled him to accomplish 

 a very large amount of scientific work daily. 



He retired from office at the end of 1891 (under Clause X of the 

 Order in Council of 15th August, 1890). He continued, however, 

 to be employed by the Trustees until the 31st March, 1893, when 

 the Treasury vetoed any further engagement. A year later, on the 

 26th April, 1894, his old colleagues and friends, to the number of 

 85, gave him a complimentary dinner at the Imperial Institute, the 

 chair being taken by Sir William Flower, K.C.B., the Director of 

 the Museum of Natural History. 



In 1896 he was presented with the first Bolitho gold medal by 

 the Eoyal Geological Society of Cornwall in recognition of his 

 distinguished services to geology, especially in the Western Counties. 



But his retirement from office by no means retarded his scientific 

 work, for he continued independently to pursue his geological and 

 palceontological labours up to the close. 



He devoted much of his time during the last twelve years to the 

 duties of Consulting Geologist to the Dover Coal Boring, and 

 patiently and accurately recorded foot by foot every core and sample 

 of material brought to bank by the engineers. Many of these speci- 

 mens are deposited in the Geological Department, British Museum 

 (Natural History), where he continued to carry on his researches up 

 to the end. He was deeply interested in the Coal Commission, 

 was a well-known authority on the Bristol Coalfield and on that 

 of the Kentish and the Franco -Belgian area, which he had 

 carefully studied. In 1897 he read a paper before the Engineering 

 Conference on " The Kent Coalfield," in which he affirmed his 

 belief in the existence of an extensive and valuable coalfield in the 

 South-East of England or near Dover, and explained its relation to 

 the coalfields of the South-West of England (Bristol and Somerset), 

 and to those of the North of France and Belgium. He made 

 excursions to Belgium, Germany, and Austria, examined the volcanic 

 phenomena of the Auvergne and of the Eifel districts, and wrote 

 a short account of his visit to Central France. 



He was an authority upon water-supply, and was frequently 

 associated with the late Mr. Hawksley and his son, Mr. Charles 

 Hawksley, M.I.C.E., and other eminent Civil Engineers, in con- 

 nection with supplies for Bristol, Plymouth, London, and other 

 large centres of population. 



Mr. Etheridge was author of a Report, dated 22nd June, 1857, on 

 Thames Mud and Thames Water, being based upon a microscopic 

 examination of eighteen samples of mud and detrital deposits and 

 two or more samples of water taken from the River Thames ; giving 

 a detailed account of each sample, both for the living organisms,, 

 the organic matter in a state of decomposition, and the inorganic 

 mineral residuum ; issued as Appendix II to Report relating to 

 the Main Drainage of the Metropolis (folio, pp. 61-72). Ordered to 

 be printed by the House of Commons, 3rd August, 1857. 



