Life of R. A. C. Godwin-Austen. 7 



Tn his remarks on the boulder of granite found in the Chalk near 

 Croydon, and which was no doubt transported by floating ice, Mr. Austen 

 attempts to trace out the coast-line during the Cretaceous epoch, in 

 which every other form of sea-bed, from the abyssal to the marginal, 

 must have existed. Eemarking on these enquiries Major-General 

 Portlock observes that the author " has appropriated to himself a 

 class of research which is difficult in proportion to its apparent 

 obscurity, but which he is likely by his skill and perseverance to 

 place very high amongst the objects of the philosophical geologist." ' 



Edward Forbes, who died in 1854, left his papers to Mr. Austen. 

 Among these was a Memoir on the Tertiary Fluvio-Marine Formation 

 of the Isle of Wight. This was brought out in 1856, under the 

 editorship of Mr. Austen, who was well qualified for the task, as 

 he had been with Forbes when many of his notes and observations 

 were recorded, and had discussed with him many of the questions 

 that arose. In certain instances Mr. Austen supplied such short 

 notices as were requisite to complete the work, but the memoir was 

 fortunately far advanced by Forbes himself. 



Another work, however, which had been undertaken by Forbes, 

 was left by him in a very incomplete state. This work, entitled " The 

 Natural History of the European Seas," was edited and continued 

 by Mr. Austen, and published in 1859. It was a companion volume 

 to Prof. Henfrey's " The Vegetation of Europe"; and Mr. Austen 

 himself had undertaken to write the " Geological History of the 

 European Area" — a work which, however, was never published. 

 The volume on the Natural History of the European Seas had, at 

 the time of Forbes' death, been corrected and printed off, as far as 

 p. 102, and there were proofs (uncorrected) bringing up the work to 

 p. 126 ; but no further material was forthcoming. Mr. Godwin-Austen, 

 however, who naturally had many difficulties to contend against, 

 laboured hard and successfully at his task ; and although it must 

 always be lamented that Forbes did not live to complete this and 

 other works he had planned, yet we may be none the less grateful 

 to Mr. Austen, even if we agree with what he says in reviewing his 

 own portion of the joint volume (in the preface) : — " I feel I may be 

 charged with having treated the subject too often from a geological 

 stand-point, and that my share may possibly remind some of the 

 Angel of the sign-painter who had painted Ked Lions all his life — 

 and which, in spite of his eiforts, looked more like a Lion, than 

 became an Angel, after all." 



Mr. Austen contributed to the so-called " Greenough Geological 

 Map," a new edition of which was announced in 1865 by the President 

 of the Geological Society, Mr. W. J. Hamilton. This map, really 

 based on that of William Smith, was brought up to date by utilizing 

 the labours of the Geological Survey, and those of several Fellows 

 of the Geological Society. Mr. Austen contributed greatly to the 

 revision of the S.E. sheet, including the Wealden strata of Kent and 

 Sussex, and the members of the Cretaceous series. He also superin- 

 tended and laid down from MS. notes, a small portion of France, 

 1 Address to Geol. Soc. 1858. 



