elxxxviil Proceedings of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal. [N.S., XVII, 
But though there is every reason to feel satisfaction at the 
results already accomplished, especially in 
: — — the e Areal, Siceoteral and Stratigraphical 
son tong od pet- branches of geology the work which vet 
a: awaits geological research in India is immense 
both in its scope and possibility. Up till lately the progress of 
geological investigation in India was mainly in the direction 
of stratigraphy with its concomitant palaeontological research. 
The departments of Petro ology, Mineralogy, Physiography, Eco- 
nomic Geology were suffered to remain in abeyance, comparative- 
ly speaking, till Holland’s researches, about the beginning of the 
new century, initiated a new slept in the official Year-book. 
Since then notable work has been done in these branches both 
in the great archaean terrain of ‘South India and in Burma to fill 
up the deficiency, if only in part. The Geological Survey of Bri. 
the Indian Survey commenced its operation and yet with its 
corps of distinguished specialists in all branches, and with the 
large and steady measure of able amateur co-operation, one can 
easily see from its annual programmes of work how much still 
remains for investigation in the Geology of the British isles, 
especially in the above-mentioned departments, which now 
claim a first rank in the publications issuing from the Geologi- 
cal Surveys of all advanced countries of the world. 
In a country sin India, therefore, where the ground to be 
fai ct Aaa overed is so vast and the workers so pik 
Co-operation. this disproportion between the work accom 
lished and that which yet awaits accom- 
- plishment is much greater and will remain so for a long tim 
to come. The reason for this is obvious. The Science of 
Geology has held in the past and still holds, with respect to 
its other sister Sciences, an unenviable position in India. It 
has not been fortunate in receiving that share of amateur - 
contribution from men of liberal learning and culture who 
generally fill the public services of India and who have enriched 
what appears to b> an inexplicable indifference of the educat- 
ed people of India towards Geological Science—a people who 
evolved in the past some of the earliest true conceptions 
regarding the fundamentals of the Seteaie of the earth—lies 
perhaps in the very nature of Indian G teology and some of its 
eee a singularities. Let us briefly examine these 
In the early half of the stl century a number OP amateurs 
of this Celonging to the service of the East India 
isolated position of mete es or to private Commercial under- 
Geology. takings. with more enthusiasm than geologi- 
cal knowledge, were fired with the desire to 
prove the great salemiak wealth of the Indian Peninsula by 
