Reports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 183 



of the richly fossiliferous strata of Esthouia, from the base of the Cambrian to the 

 summit of the Devonian, originally commenced in broad outline by Eichwald, 

 Pander, and others between the years 1830 and 1850, was taken up in great detail 

 in 1853 by Schmidt, who was at that time Professor at the University of Dorpat. 

 In the year 1856 he published his first work, " Die Silurische Formation von 

 Estland, Nordlivland, und CEsel," which at once became the standard, and was referred 

 to in detail by Murchison in his own paper on the subject in the Quarterly Journal 

 of this Society for 1857. Even at this time Professor Schmidt had recognized 

 between 400 and 500 fossils in these Esthouian rocks, had separated the Lower and 

 Upper Silurian faunas, and had proved the existence of Eurypterus and Gephalaspis 

 in the highest beds of his country. 



For the next thirty years he continued these researches, and by the year 1882 he 

 had completed a general survey of the region, had separated the Lower Palaeozoic 

 formations into the three faunal divisions of Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian, and 

 distinguished some fifteen zones and sub-zones in the collective succession. He also 

 published a map showing the distribution of the major zones, in readiness for the 

 International Geological Map of Europe. Dr. Schmidt's results have enabled the 

 whole of the Eussian Palaeozoic Series to be paralleled with the corresponding rocks 

 of Scandinavia and other parts of the world. 



In constant connection with the stratigraphical work, he has especially busied 

 himself in the development and description of the palaeontology of the Palaeozoic 

 succession. He has figured and described the Trilobites of the entire series, 

 publishing the first part of his " Eevision der Ostbaltischen Silurischen Trilobiten" 

 m 1881, the fourth part in 189-1, and the fifth part in 1898. He has also worked out 

 the Eurypterid;c and the Leperditiadae, the final parts of this work appearing in 1900. 

 In 1888 he made known the discovery of Olenelhis in the Lower Cambrian rocks of 

 Esthouia, and he has subsequently described and figured the first Russian Olenellus 

 (C. Michivitzia). 



Dr. Schmidt's work, both palaeontological and stratigraphical, bears the impress 

 of unsparing labour, modest cantion, and thoroughness ; and the results that he has 

 obtained have been invaluable in the development of our knowledge of the geology 

 and fossils of the Baltic Provinces. He is one of the last survivors of the heroic age 

 of geology, being the contemporary and occasional colleague of Eichwald, Pander, 

 Kayserling, De Verneuil, Murchison, and Barrande. The award of our Wollaston 

 Medal to tbis eminent Eussian geologist and palaeontologist is not only expressive of 

 our hearty recognition of his lifelong devotion to the study of the rocks and fossils 

 of his native land, but is also a grateful acknowledgment of the important services 

 which he and his countrymen have rendered to the general advancement of 

 geological science. 



Professor Seeley replied in the following words : — Mr. President, — 



Dr. Friedrich Schmidt desires to express his thanks for the honour of the award of 

 the "Wollaston Medal, and to say how much he regrets his inability to be present 

 here, for he gratefully appreciates this expression of generous sympathy with his 

 work. In early life he wandered through Siberia, where he learned the English 

 language, which enabled him to contribute to the Society's Journal. 



I have known Dr. Schmidt as Administrator of the Geological Museum of the 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, where I examined the materials 

 described in his memoirs ; and, iu common with members of the International 

 Geological Congress, I have been guided by him along the southern coast of the Gulf 

 of Finland, from St. Petersburg to (Esel, to the principal scenes of his work in the 

 Cambrian and Silurian rocks and Drift-deposits in the Eastern Baltic Provinces of 

 Russia. And I may be permitted to say that all his work seems to me characterized 

 by breadth of treatment and lucidity. In Schmidt the gifts and attainments of the 

 naturalist illuminate the work of the geologist ; and his search for truth never 

 wearies and never hastes till all available facts are brought into illustrative relation 

 with his research. His many-sided studies of nature have given a philosophical 

 character to all Dr. Schmidt's contributions to science ; and it is impossible not to 

 realize that his scientific writings, which are many and valuable, give but inadequate 

 expression to a personality which has powerfully inflnenced many to follow his 

 methods and emulate his results. He has passed his 70th year, but works on, and 

 looks forward to soon completing his final memoirs on the Trilobites. 



