62 



After the Reports had been read, it was resolved, — 



That they be received and entered on the Minutes of the Meeting ; 



.^.nd that such parts of them as the Council may think fit, be printed 



tend distributed among, tfcfce Fellows. 



Gentlemen, 

 The Report of the Council having acquainted you that the Wollaston 

 Medals have this year been adjudicated to MM. Dufrenoy and Elie de 

 Beaumont, I beg to preface their delivery by a very few observations. 



With liberal and enlightened views, Dr. Wollaston left the Council 

 of this Society perfectly unfettered in the selection of persons qua- 

 lified to receive the: proceeds of a fund, which he bequeathed to us 

 for the purpose of encouraging geological researches, or of reward- 

 ing those who may successfully compilete them. In founding a medal 

 which bears on it the likeness of that great philosopher, we recog- 

 nised the principle of reward for eminence in geological labours, 

 whilst the surplus interest of the fund was to be annually bestowed 

 on some man of science employed in the accumulation of facts. In 

 the course of the Address which I am about to read, the useful 

 application of one of these donations will be pointed out, and in the 

 mean time I will briefly advert to the destination of the two Gold 

 Medals, which have been voted to M. Dufrenoy and M. Elie de 

 Beaumont, for their Geological Map of the kingdom of France. 



Of the peculiar excellences of this splendid work, as creditable to 

 the French Government who fostered it as to the geologists who exe- 

 cuted it, I expressed unqualified approbation in my Discourse of last 

 year, soon after the map was sent to us ; and I dwelt with great satis- 

 faction on the assurance of its authors, that they had pleasure in offer- 

 ring it to us, as, in our own islands, when young geologists, they first 

 acquired that knowledge of the classification of sedimentary deposits 

 which led them to embark in their great national enterprise. 



To treat of all the merits of our distinguished Foreign Asso- 

 ciates, would be to enter, not only upon the geology of France, but 

 also on the structure of other tracts of the surface of the globe on 

 which their labours have shed so much light, I will therefore simply 

 express my sincere belief, that the Council of this Society never 

 made an award more creditable to its just appreciation of high 

 geological merit. 



In heartily congratulating you, Gentlemen, in having done ho- 

 nour to yourselves by adding the names of Dufrenoy and de Beau- 

 mont to the list of those foreign philosophers who have won the 

 meed of your applause, you have, I am convinced, raised the value 

 of our medals in the estimation of all cultivators of geology; and in 

 handing them to our Foreign Secretary, for transmission to our 

 French Associates, I beg he will express to them, that in this award 

 we view them, not as foreigners, but as friends and leaders, from 

 whose Avritings we have i-eceived both instruction and delight, and 

 whose successful career we have thus endeavoured to honour by 

 the choicest gift we have it in our power to bestow. 



