40 Reviews — The Geological Survey. 



to its completion at the same rate at wliieh it was commenced, its 

 published works could not have held their own against those of any 

 other country in the world. Under the circumstances it may be of 

 some interest to sketch briefly the history of the Survey, and dispel 

 the misapprehension that exists in some minds concerning its pro- 

 gress. At one time it was a customary thing for the President of 

 the Geological Society to allude to the progress made by the Survey ; 

 but even the establishment is prone to hide its own light by not 

 advertising its publications, and by not sending copies of them to 

 journals, magazines, and newspapers for review. 



A.S early as 1833, De la Beche had commenced to colour geologically 

 some of the Ordnance Survey sheets of the south-west of England. 

 Two years later, through his influence, an ajoplication was made by 

 the Master General and Board of Ordnance for a government grant 

 to combine a geological examination of the English counties with 

 the Ordnance or Geographical Survey then in progress. At the 

 request of this official, Buckland, Sedgwick, and Lyell drew up a 

 joint report, in which they stated their " opinion as to the great 

 advantages which must accrue from such an undertaking, not only 

 as calculated to promote geological science, which would alone be a 

 sufficient object, but also as a work of great practical utility." ' Thus, 

 early in the je&x 1835, the Geological Survey commenced its official 

 existence, and De la Beche was chosen to organize and direct its 

 operations. For some time it continued to form a branch of the 

 Trigonometrical Survey of Great Britain, of which Colonel Colby 

 was Superintendent, and in those days it was termed the " Ordnance 

 Geological Survey." In 1845 its connexion with the Board of 

 Ordnance ceased, and the Geological Survey was placed " under the 

 Direction and Superintendence of the First Commissioner for the 

 time being of Her Majesty's Woods, Forests, Land Eevenues, 

 Works, and Buildings." On the formation of the Department of 

 Science and Art in 1854, the Geological Survey was "consigned to 

 it, at first under the Board of Trade, and afterwards under the 

 Committee of Privy Council on Education."^ 



An examination of the last issued catalogue of the Geological 

 Survey Publications (1878) shows that while the whole of Wales 

 and the greater part of England and Ireland have been completely 

 mapped, much of Scotland yet remains to be done. Moreover, the 

 survey of the Drift or "superficial" deposits, commenced about twelve 

 years ago, is not very far advanced, so far as the published maps are 

 concerned. In the earlier surveys these Drift deposits were entirely 

 neglected, the so-called " solid " rocks only being laid down. 

 Hence, any one acquainted with geological surveying would have 

 been surprised had the work advanced more rapidly of late years, 

 for some areas which on the old sj^stem might be mapped in a few 

 months, would with the Drift Survey take as many years. The 

 Drifts present problems as difficult to unravel as do any of the older 

 rocks, while their varying position, their constant change of cha- 



1 See Lyell's Address to Geol. Soc. 1836, Proc. Geol. Soc. vol. ii. p. 358. 



2 Jukes, Address at the Museum of Irish Industry, 1867. 



