Heports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 187 



more fuudamental data than Mr. Carruthers. The recognition of distinctive 

 characters among forms apparently so indefinite as the corals is a difficult problem, 

 taxing to the utmost the judgment, skill, and patience of the observer. It is one 

 which he has undertaken, and so far with conspicuous success. 



In asking you to transmit this award to Mr. Carruthers, I would beg you to 

 assuie him of the cordial interest taken by the Council in the progress of his labours. 



The President then proceeded to read his Anniversary Address, 

 giving first of all Obituary Notices of several Fellows and Foreign 

 Members deceased since the last Annual Meeting, including Dr. H. C. 

 Sorby (elected a Fellow in 1850); Sir John Evans (el. 1857); 

 "W. H. Hudleston (el. 1867) ; Professor A. J. Gaudry (elected Foreign 

 Member in 1874) ; Professor A. de Lapparent (el. F.M. 1897) ; Dr. F. 

 Schmidt (el. F.M. 1895); General J. F. N. Delgado (el. F.M. 1899) ; 

 Professor H. G. Seeley (el. 1862); Sir Thomas Wardle (el. 1863); 

 and Joseph Lomas (el. 1897). 



He then dealt with the question of Time, considered in relation to 

 Geological Events and to the Development of the Organic World, 

 referring, first of all, to recent evidence in proof of the extreme 

 rigidity of the interior of the Earth. He remarked that Mr. Strutt's 

 method of estimating the age of sediments by reference to their radio- 

 active constituents was of great promise, but a long series of con- 

 cordant observations would be required to inspire absolute confidence 

 in its results. Professor Joly's method of determining the age of the 

 Ocean, based on the ratio of the amount of sodium which it contained 

 to that annually contributed to it by rivers, was subjected to a 

 detailed analysis, in the course of which it was pointed out that the 

 sodium contained in river-water existed chiefly as sulphate or chloride, 

 though theoretically it should be in the state of carbonate. The 

 origin of the chlorine was manifold ; some was traced to salts borne by 

 the winds from the ocean, some to supplies from ancient desert-lakes, 

 and some to juvenile waters escaping as hot springs or impregnating 

 the vadose waters underground. The probable limits for the age of 

 the Ocean were 80 to 170 millions of years. 



An examination of the sedimentary series, where developed to their 

 maximum thickness, gave a period of 35 millions of years, on the 

 assumption that deposition had proceeded ?t a rate of 1 foot in a 

 century. Explanations of the discrepancy were suggested, and it was 

 proposed to divide stratigraphical time into two moieties, each of 

 40 millions of years duration. The earlier or pre-Cambrian moiety 

 was termed the Protreon, the later or post-Cambrian the Neatseon. 

 TJsing the scale of 1 foot in 100 years as a rough chronological 

 measure, it was applied to illustrate the rate of evolution in the case 

 of the Equidce and the chief varieties or species of man. Though 

 relatively rapid, when considered in connection with some other 

 groups of organisms, this was shown to be so slow, when measured in 

 terms of years, that perceptible differences in a linear ancestral series 

 would have required tens of thousands of years for their production. 



The Ballot for the Council and Officers was taken, and the following were 

 declared duly elected for the ensuing year :— Council : Charles WiUiam Andi-ews, 

 B.A., D.Sc, F.R.S. ; George Barrow; Professor William S. Boulton, B.Sc. ; 

 Professor Samuel Herbert Cox, F.C.S., Assoc.R.S.M. ; Professor Edmund Johnston 

 Garwood, M.A. ; Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., D.C.L., LL.D., Sc.D., Pres.R.S.; 



