336 Obituary— J. C. Mansel-Pkydell, F.L.S., F.G.S. 



Magazine a '•' Brief Memoir on the Geology of Dorset." Two years 

 later he was the chief founder, and afterwards President, of the 

 Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, to the Pro- 

 ceedings of which from 1877 onwards he contributed numerous 

 papers. In one of these he called attention to the interesting 

 discovery of remains of Elephas mendionalis at Dewlish. Although 

 he had reached the ripe age of 84 his keen interest in science was 

 maintained to the end, and his loss will be long and widely deplored 

 in the county and elsewhere by all who had the privilege of his 

 acquaintance. 



Mr. Mansel-Pleydell may be regarded as almost the last of the 

 race of country gentlemen of high social position who took any deep 

 interest in geology. For, although he was strongly imbued with 

 a love of natural history generally, and, in fact, was what we might 

 call ' an all-round man,' yet he always held geology in especial 

 favour. We perceive this in the originating of the Dorset Field 

 Club, -which was founded by three Fellows of the Geological 

 Society, viz., himself, Professor Buckman, and the Rev. H. H. 

 Wood, rector of Holwell. While Buckman was elected secretary 

 and Wood treasurer, Mansel-Pleydell was made president, and 

 continued to occupy that position until his death. During the 

 twenty-seven years of its existence the President's high reputation 

 and his continuous work added largely to the usefulness of the 

 Field Club, and his influence has helped to preserve it from 

 becoming a mere archseological society — a fate which is likely to 

 befall so many of these county associations in the near future. 

 The Dorset County Museum likewise has been greatly indebted 

 to Mr. Mansel-Pleydell, for during a long course of years he has 

 enriched almost every department, and more especially that of 

 palseontology. It is here that his most important ' finds ' have been 

 deposited. 



We must regard it as a matter for regret that Mr. Mansel- 

 Pleydell's efforts in the cause of geological science were not more 

 generally known, so that probably few persons unconnected with 

 Dorset have any idea of the range of his knowledge in this 

 direction. To this circumstance w^e may attribute the fact that 

 he never obtained from the Council of the Geological Society 

 any recognition of his services in the cause of geologj'', although 

 it had no more enthusiastic devotee than the late President of 

 the Dorset Field Club. He was one of those extraordinary men 

 who unite the enthusiasm of youth with the mature judgment of 

 old age, and it may be recorded of him that he ' died in harness ' 

 in his effort to attend the meeting at Dorchester, where it had 

 been his intention to deliver his annual address. 



The Hugh Millek Centenary. —We draw the attention of our 

 readers to the very interesting proposal (see p. 4 of Cover) to keep 

 alive, by means of a Memorial Institute in Cromarty, the memory 

 of one of Scotland's most worthy sons and geologists. 



