﻿Obituary — David Forbes. 47 



pearance. (See the Edinb. Phil. Journ., 1856-57. and Quart. Journ. 

 Geol. Soc. Lond., 1855.) 



His cabinets are replete with abundant and carefully selected- 

 rocks and minerals, all intended to illustrate the association, para- 

 genesis and mode of occurrence of minerals in connexion with the 

 origin and formation of the rock-masses or mineral veins in which 

 they are found imbedded. 



On his return from Bolivia in 1860, he was requested, previous to 

 his departure, by a Committee representing the chief commercial and 

 mining interests of that country, to address a letter to Lord John 

 Eussell urging the re-appointment of a representative of the British 

 Government to protect British interests. This letter was accompanied 

 by a memorandum on the resources of the Eepublic. Although the 

 ofScial appointment was not then deemed necessary, it must have 

 been some satisfaction to Mr. David Forbes to know that a number 

 of influential persons connected with mining enterprises requested 

 Sir Eoderick Murchison to use his influence to secure the appoint- 

 ment of Mr. David Forbes to the vacant post in that country. 



Igneous and Metamorphic phenomena and the resulting changes 

 in rock-formations were among David Forbes's especial and favourite 

 studies, and he lost no opportunity, during his extensive travels in 

 Europe and Africa, but especially in Mexico and South America, of 

 observing the effects of modern volcanic action, and their relation to 

 similar phenomena in past time. 



Having ample opportunities in Norway, in connexion with metal- 

 lurgical operations, he was enabled to submit various rocks to very 

 high temperatures and pressures for longer or shorter periods, and 

 thus imitate metamorphic action in the production of various forms 

 of rock-structures. The results of these experiments were partly em- 

 bodied in his paper to the Geological Society in 1855, "On the 

 Causes producing Foliation in Kocks." Bearing also on this subject 

 are his papers " On the Chemical Composition of some Minerals 

 from the South of Norway " (Brit. Assoc. Eep., 1854, Edinb. New 

 Phil. Journ., 1855-57), "On the Igneous Eocks of Staffordshire" 

 (Geol. Mag. Vol. Ill, p. 23) and " On the Contraction of Igneous 

 Eocks in Cooling " (Geol. Mag. Vol. VII. p. 1). 



Mr. Forbes was a Fellow of the Eoyal, the Chemical, and the 

 Geological Societies. Of the latter he had been the active Honorary 

 Secretary for some years past. As Foreign Secretary of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute, he has prepared for six years (1871-76) 

 careful and elaborate details of the progress of the iron and steel 

 industries in foreign countries, in which his knowledge of lan- 

 guages materially assisted him. Nor did geological science and 

 mineralogy alone interest him, for as a member of the Ethnological 

 Society he contributed an interesting and elaborate paper " On the 

 Aymara Indians of Bolivia and Peru." 



Upwards of fifty papers have been communicated by Mr. David 

 Forbes to the Scientific Societies and Journals, besides a long series 

 of articles in the " Chemical News," the Transactions of the " Iron 

 and Steel Institute." Sixteen of Mr. Forbes's articles and letters 



