﻿48 Obituary — David Forbes. 



have appeared in the Geological Magazine from 1 866 — 1872. They 

 all indicate the tendency of his mind to study the bearings of 

 chemistry on igneous and cosraical phenomena. Forbes felt that 

 whilst in other departments of Geology, Great Britain was foremost, 

 she was far behind in the study of Chemical Geology, and he hoped 

 that others might be induced to devote themselves to this most 

 interesting and prolific branch of scientific inquiry. His views were 

 expressed in his paper on " Chemical Geology " [Chemical Neios, 

 1867 and 1868 ; Popular Science Bevieio, 1868 ; Geol. Mag., 1868, 

 Vol. V. p. 366, and in his Lecture to the Chemical Society, 1868), 

 and also in his paper on the " Chemistry of the Primeval Earth," 

 (Geol. Mag.. 1867, Vol. IV. p. 433 ; and 1868, Vol. V., p. 105), in 

 which he criticized certain opinions of Dr. Sterry Hunt published in 

 his lecture at the Eoyal Institution (1867) on the same subject 

 (Geol. Mag. 1867, Vol. IV. p. 357). 



His most important papers are already quoted in the body of this 

 memoir, to which may be added the following : — 



" On the Relation of the Silurian and Metamorphic Rocks of the South of Norway.' 



Edinb. New PhU. Jom-n. 1856, iii. p. 79. 

 " On the Causes producing Foliation in Rocks." Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1855, 



xl. p. 166. 

 "On the So-called Primitive Formation of the South Coast of Norway." Quart. 



Joiu-n. Geol. Soc, 1858, xiv. 

 " On the Geology of South America." Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1860. 

 " On the application of the Blowpipe to the Quantitative Determination of certain 



Minerals"— a series of papers in the " Chemical News." 

 " Researches in British Mineralogy." Phil. Mag., 1867 and 1868. 



Mr. Forbes devoted himself almost entirely to his professional 

 and literary pursuits, and took but little physical exercise, and it is 

 to be feared that his too sedentary habits, together with the sad 

 domestic loss he had recently suffered, depressed his sj)irits and 

 broke up a constitution already to some extent enfeebled by recur- 

 rent fever caught in South America, and so accelerated his end. 



His loss is keenly felt by those friends who really knew his genial 

 and social character ; whilst his scientific associates, who had hoped 

 for the further prosecution and publication of his researches and 

 observations on rocks and minerals will all regret his vacant place in 

 their midst. 



Removed from us at so early a period in his career, when his future 

 promised a devotion to his favourite studies and the arrangement 

 of the scientific notes he had so earnestly collected, some of which 

 it is hoped may still be rendered available, although we fear, with 

 regard to a large proportion, the mind of the master whose hand 

 penned them could alone render them useful for scientific purposes. 

 Endowed with great mental activity, although partly impaired of 

 late by the state of his health, he seems to have acted on the motto 

 of the great Swedish naturalist — 



" Nulla dies sine linea." 



J. M. 



