422 Reviews — Williain SmitJi : His Majis and Memxoirs. 



After a few introductory pages the author gives some notes on 

 work connected with geological mapping and determination of the 

 sequence of strata prior to Smith's time. Special notice is taken of 

 the establishment of a sequence of strata from the Chalk to the 

 Coal-measures by the Rev. John Michell, whose claims as a geological 

 investigator have recently been presented by Sir Archibald Geikie 

 in a Memoir of John Michell published by the Cambridge University 

 Press in 1918. Stress is also laid upon the importance of the series 

 of County Surveys published by the Board of Agriculture in 1794 

 and the succeeding years, many of which indicate by colour the 

 nature of the soils. As Mr. Shej)j)ard remarks, " there is no doubt 

 they were of guidance to Smith in his work." 



The greater part of the book (pp. 103-80) is occupied with an 

 account of Smith's various publications — maps, sections, books, 

 and papers, in chronological order. This is of the highest value, 

 and evidently entailed an enormous amount of research. It i§ 

 admirably illustrated by reproductions of maps, sections, title- 

 pages of books, tables of strata, and other material. 



The fullest details are naturally reserved for those works and 

 portions of works which deal with Yorkshire, but anyone who 

 wishes to obtain an account of Smith's work will do so. Many of 

 the items refer to previously unknown or forgotten publications 

 brought to light by the author after exhaustive inquiries. The 

 concluding parts of the book treat of Smith's MSS., notices of his 

 work by other v/riters, apart from those which have been previously 

 published, mem^orials to Smith, with illustrations of busts, portraits, 

 dwelling-places, and monuments, also some appendices and a 

 bibliography. 



A few trifling misprints occur, bist there is a discrepancy between 

 the description of the plate facing p. 107, " The original Table of 

 Strata near Bath, dictated by W. Smith, and written by the 

 Rev. Joseph Townsend, in 1799," and the inscription on the table 

 by Smith on p. 108, " This Table of Strata, dictated by myself, is 

 in the handwriting of the Rev. Ben". Richardson, and was first 

 reduced to writing at the house of the Rev. Joseph Townsend, 

 Pulteney St., Bath, 1799. William Smith." On p. 134 the author, 

 referring to a copy of Strata identified hy Organized Fossils, 

 states that in the copy in the possession of the Geological Society 

 of London the covers are fortunately preserved, but that the date 

 of part iii is torn off. The writer of this notice has a copy with the 

 covers intact, and the date of part iii is, as given by the author, 

 " September 1, 1817." 



Mr. Sheppard must be heartily congratulated upon the appearance 

 of this most important work, and thanks tendered to the Fellows of 

 the Yorkshire Geological Society. Every geologist should read the 

 book, and no student of the history of geological discovery, or 

 collection of works bearing thereon, can afford to be without it. 

 We learn from the preface to Mr. Sheppard's work that more 



