275 



After the year 1795, he turned his knowledge to effect in his va- 

 rious employments as civil engineer. Works of drainage were carried 

 on by him on the principles of stratification — his stratigraphical col- 

 lections were continually increased — he sketched geological sections 

 on the lines of local surveys (many of which have been since pub- 

 lished) — and traced geological lines of demarcation upon various 

 county maps. Of these I may mention an excellent map of Somer- 

 setshire, coloured on the scale of an inch to a mile, and publicly ex- 

 hibited and explained at an annual agricultural meeting at Bath, in 

 the year 1799; and another map (publicly exhibited at the same 

 time, and now, 1 rejoice to tell you, on the table of this Society) of 

 the country six miles round Bath ; representing all the different 

 formations, and the minute subdivisions of the oolites, distinguished 

 as they remain in our geological maps to this day. For eight or 

 nine years he had been steadily and resolutely advancing, but with- 

 out aid, and almost without sympathy ; for he was so far before the 

 rest of our geologists, if indeed they deserved the name, that they 

 could not even comprehend the importance of what he had done. 

 The public exhibitions I have alluded to, and the obvious practical 

 interest of the subject, seem, however, at length, to have roused the 

 attention of the scientific gentlemen near Bath : and it appears to 

 have been during the meeting of the Agricultural Society, in 1799, 

 that he first became acquainted with the Rev. B. Richardson of Far- 

 ley, an excellent naturalist and a very extensive collector of fossils; 

 and with the Rev. J. Townsend of Pewsey, whose literary and philo- 

 sophic works are well known to you all. I will not do injury to this 

 part of my narrative, by offering any comments upon these facts, but 

 I will read you a letter I have just received from Mr. Richardson 

 himself. 



Copy of Mr. Richardson's Letter. 



Farley Rectory, near Bath, 

 Sir, 10th Feb. 1831. 



I am requested to present you the particulars of my acquaintance 

 with Mr. William Smith, well known by the appi*opriate appellation 

 of Strata Smith. 



At the Annual Meeting of the Bath Agricultural Society in 1799, 

 Mr. Smith was introduced to my residence in Bath, when, on viewing 

 my collection of fossils, he told me the beds to which they exclusively 

 belonged, and pointed out some peculiar to each. This, by attending 

 him in the fields, I soon found to be the fact, and also, that they had 

 a general inclination to the south-east, following each other in regu- 

 lar succession. 



With the open liberality peculiar to Mr. Smith, he wished me to 

 communicate this to the Rev. J. Townsend of Pewsey (then in Bath), 

 who was not less surprised at the discovery. But we were soon much 

 more astonished by proofs of his own collecting, that whatever stra- 

 tum was found in any part of England, the same remains would be 

 found in it and no other. Mr. Townsend, who had pursued the sub- 

 ject 40 or 50 years, and had travelled over the greater part of civi- 

 le 



