182 Hqjorts and Proceedings — 



Geological Society of London. 



I. — Annual Gkneral Meeting. — February 19th, 1892. — Sir 

 Archibald Geikie, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Secretaries read the Eeports of the Council and of the Library 

 and Museum Committee for the year 1891. In the foriner the 

 Council again congratulated the Fellows on the continued prosperity 

 of the Society, and the perfectly satisfactory condition of its finances. 



The number of Fellows elected during the year was 63 ; of these 

 43 qualified before the end of 1891, together with 19 previously 

 elected Fellows, thus making a total accession of 62 Fellows during 

 the year 1891. As, however, from this number a deduction of 50 

 must be made for losses by death, resignation, and removal, and for 

 new Fellows compounding, the actual increase in the number of 

 Contributing Fellows amounts to 12. The total number of Fellows, 

 Foreign Members, and Foreign Correspondents at the close of 1891 

 was 1418. 



The Balance-sheet for the year 1891 showed receipts to the amount 

 of £2845 9s. 8d., and an expenditure of £2476 5s. 7d. Moreover, 

 the sum of £516 2s. 3c?. was expended in the purchase of stock, 

 and the balance in favour of the Society at December 31st, 1891, 

 amounted to £286 19s. 4cl. 



The Council's Report also referred to the severe losses sustained 

 by the Society during the year in the deaths of several distinguished 

 Fellows, to the death of the late House-Steward, to the editing of 

 No. 185 of the Quarterly Journal by Prof. T. Eupert Jones, and in 

 conclusion announced the awards of the various Medals and proceeds 

 of Donation-Funds in tlie gift of the Society. 



The Report of the Library and Museum Committee enumerated 

 the additions made during the past year to the Society's Library, 

 announced the completion of about 40 previously imperfect sets of 

 serials, and referred to the registration of type specimens in the 

 Museum, a task which has been confided to a specialist, Mr. C. 

 Davies Sherborn. 



In handing the Wollaston Medal, awarded to Baron Ferdinand 

 von Richthofen, to Mr. W. Topley, F.R.S., for transmission to the 

 recipient, the President addressed him as follows: — 



Mr. Topley,— To Baron Ferdinand von Riclithofen the Council of the Geological 

 Society has awarded this year the Wollaston Medal in recognition of the great merit 

 of the researches carried on by him over a large part of the Old World and of the 

 New. From the outset of his career he has been distinguished by a rare combination 

 of the power of minute patient observation, with the faculty of broad, and often 

 brilliant, generalization. It is this union of mental gifts which has placed him high 

 among the leaders of science of his time, and which gives such a charm and value to 

 his writings. 



Beginning his early investigations among the eruptive rocks of his native country, 

 he was gradually led to undertake a detailed investigation of the geology of that 

 interesting region in the South Tyrol around Predazzo and St. Cassian. The 

 elaborate monograph of this tract, which he published in 1860, was a remarkable 

 achievement for so young a man, and gave ample promise of his future distinction. 

 Soon after its publication he had the good fortune to be attached, to a naval 



