Beports and Proceedings — Geological Societ// of London. 179 



The Reports having been received, the President presented the 

 Wollaston Medal to Dr. Henry Woodward, F.E.S., addressing him 

 as follows : — 



Dr. Wooclward, — The "Wollaston Medal, the highest honour Avhich it is iu the 

 power of the Society to bestow, has been unanimously aAvarded to you by the 

 Council in recognition of your researches concerning the mineral structure of 

 the Earth, and particularly of your valuable contributions to the science of Palason- 

 tology, and more especially to our knowledge of the fossil Arthropoda. 



There are many reasons why your fellow -workers and friends should rejoice at 

 this award. 



As Director of the Geological Department of the British Museum, your duties 

 must liaA'e been heavy, but you have found time for an extraordinary amount of 

 work in addition to that necessitated by your official position. 



Many are the learned Societies which are indebted to you for counsel. Besides 

 our own I may mention the Zoological, Palseontographical, Microscopical, and 

 Malacological Societies, the Geologists' Association, and the Museums Association. 

 Your labours on behalf of these Societies have been recognized by your, having been 

 called upon to occupy the Presidential Chah- of the greater number of them. 



The debt which geologists owe to you as Editor of the Geological Magazine 

 was admitted by Dr. Bonney, when, twenty years ago, on behalf of numerous 

 subscribers he presented a testimonial to you in these apartments. That debt is now 

 more than doubled, for you have been Editor of the Magazine for over forty years, 

 and during the greater part of that period its chief Editor. In addition to this we 

 are deeply grateful to you, and especially to her who has ever interested herself in 

 your labours, for the "Index to the Geological Magazine" which appeared last 

 year. It is a happy circumstance that the bestowal of this Medal upon you occurs 

 in a month which witnesses the publication of the 500th number of that Magazine. 

 Long may the Magazine continue to flourish in the hands of its present Editor ! 



Dr. Bonney, on the occasion to which I have alluded, paid a just tribute to your 

 great kindness to other workers, and especially to the encouragement that you have 

 ever given to the young. I gratefully remember the time when I, as an under- 

 graduate, entered with feelings of trepidation the room of the Geological Department 

 of the British Museum, then at Bloomsbury, how I was at once put at ease by you, 

 and the help which I received. My experience has been that of many, and all who 

 have benefited by your kindness will feel pleasure in the award of this Medal to you. 



But although the services which I have mentioned are reasons for rejoicing at the 

 award, they are merely subsidiary reasons for the bestowal of the Medal. The 

 recipients of the "Wollaston Medal have always qualified for it by increasing our 

 knowledge of the mineral structure of the Earth by their own researches. It is 

 unnecessary to say that you also have done this. Your contributions to the study 

 of the palaeontology of the Invertebrates, and especially of the fossil Arthropoda, are 

 known to all workers, and need no further comment on my part. 



I am glad that during the years of my occupation of this Chair the "WoUastoq 

 Medal has been awarded to two British geologists, the one a distinguished petrologist, 

 the other an eminent palaeontologist. 



Dr. Woodward, in reply, said : — 



Mr. President, — It is now forty years ago (on February 16th, 1866) that I received 

 from the President, Mr. "William John Hamilton, at Somerset House, the award of 

 the Balance of the "Wollaston Donation Fund. I was then only a youth of 34 years 

 of age, and little dreamed that I should be honoured by receiving at your haffds 

 to-day this Medal, the highest recognition that the Council can bestow. 



I feel justified, however, in attributing this great honour quite as much to the 

 personal friendship of the Council as to any merit of my OAvn ; but I am happy to 

 find that this friendly disposition is also shared by a large body of the Fellows of the 

 Society outside the Council, who have by letter and word of mouth expressed their 

 kindly approval of the Council's choice. 



I was elected a Fellow of this Society in 1864, and from 1867 until 1902 I have 

 been (oil and on) a Member of the Council (for a period of 35 years), and served also 

 the office of President (1894-6), so that I naturally feel more deeply interested in 

 the weKare of this Society than in any other, although I have been for many years, 

 and am stni, intimately associated with several other scientific bodies of kindred 

 pursuits to our own. 



