182 Reports and Proceedings — Geoloijkal Societij oj London. 



"Please convey to the Council of the Society my sincere appreciation of the- 

 honour which they have done me, and accept my best thanks for the very land words 

 of your letter in which you conveyed the announcement of the gift. 



" I remain, yours most sincerely, 



" Frank D. Adams." 



Professor Adams was still in the full vigour of life, and there was every reason to 

 hope that his distinguished career would he prolonged for many years to come. That 

 his geological activity shows no sign of slackening is proved by an intimation which 

 the speaker had recently received from him, that he had completed the detailed 

 investigation of a wide Archa)an tract of Canada, and that the paper containing the 

 account of this investigation might be expected in this country at an early date. His 

 researches on the flow of rocks are also still in progress, anil some further results on 

 this interesting subject may be looked tor before long. No more fitting recijHent of 

 this medal could have been selected than the geologist who carries on so ably the 

 traditions of Logan and Dawson in Canada. 



The President then presented the Prestwich Medal to Mr. William 

 Whitaker, F.K.S., addressing him as follows : — 



Mr. Whitaker, — The Prestwich Medal is awarded to you as an acknowledgment 

 of the work that you have done for the advancement of geology, particularly by your 

 researches among the Tertiary strata of the London and Hampshire Basins. Twenty 

 years ago the Council awarded to you the Murchison Medal as an acknowledgment of 

 your contributions to our science, which were particularized by the President of that 

 day. Since then you have not been idle, and your recent work has been conducted on 

 lines similar to those along which your earlier labours were carried on. 



The Prestwich Medal is, however, doubtless awarded to you, not so much on 

 accoimt of what you have done since receiving the Murchison Medal, as in recognition 

 of the value of yoiu' researches m those parts of our science which were advanced 

 in a high degree by the founder of the medal which I am about to hand to you, 

 namely, the study of the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. The importance of your 

 labours among the Tertiary deposits was aptly acknowledged by Dr. Eonuey in 1886,. 

 in the following words : — 



" Your papers on the western end of the London Basin, and on the Lower London 

 Tertiaries of Kent, deserve to be ranked with the classic memoirs of Prestwich, as 

 elucidating the geology of what I may call the Home District." 



You have also followed in the footsteps of Prestwich in matters of economic 

 geology. I may especially refer to the question of water-supply and to the study of 

 underground geology, for which you, the recipient of the Medal, like its founder, 

 have done so much. 



In these circumstances, it must be a soiu-ce of satisfaction to you as well as to your 

 friends to find that the Council have added a new link connecting your name with 

 that of Sir Joseph Prestwich. 



Six years ago the honour fell to me of receiving a medal from your hands. It now 

 falls to my lot to convey one to you, and it gives me much pleasure to hand it to 

 a geologist with whom I have been on terms of friendship for thirty years. 



Mr. Whitaker, in reply, said : — 



Mr. President, — During the course of my official life on the Geological Survey it 

 was my lot to work over ground that had been examined in detail by Prestwich, and 

 the geology of which was described in the remarkable set of papers which he read to 

 the Society. 



In my work I was struck by the accuracy of observation and the judgment in 

 inference shown by our past master in stratigraphy. 



In another matter, too, I have had to follow along a line in which Prestwich was 

 perhaps the pioneer, that is, the application of geology to questions of water-supply 

 and kindred practical subjects. 



It has been to me a constant pleasure to follow in the footsteps of one from whom 

 I have learnt so much ; and that, in the opinion of the Council, I have been a not 

 unworthy follower, is evidenced by the award to me of the Medal that bears hi» 

 honoured name. 



I am proud, therefore, to-day in having my name again associated with that of on& 

 for whom I have always had a great regard, as a geologist and a friend. 



