﻿ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. XXXV 



ciety. The nation is mainly indebted, for the advantages it has 

 already and will hereafter derive from that institution, to the genius, 

 activity, and practical judgment of one of the most accomplished 

 geologists of the time in which he lived, and for many years a 

 leading Member in this Society, Sir Henry De la Beche. It has, to 

 a great extent, the same objects as we ourselves have — the promo- 

 tion of geology in a strictly scientific point of view, — but with powers 

 far exceeding any that we possess, in its numerous staff of able men 

 devoted to the pursuit in all its branches, and with the command of 

 extensive means supplied by Government. But it has other func- 

 tions of vast importance, in the development of the mineral treasures 

 of our country, which, until this Government School oe Mines was 

 established, was, with few exceptions, left in the hands of uneducated 

 persons, the so-called practical men, — a system far from being yet 

 laid aside, and in strong contrast with that of Germany and Prance, 

 countries far less abounding in mineral wealth, where Schools of 

 Mines have long existed. Such insensibility to the importance of 

 the culture and encouragement of science on the part of our Govern- 

 ment and the other Members of the Legislature, in a country like 

 ours, which has had such ample experience of the benefits derived 

 from its practical application, can only be accounted for by the 

 physical and natural sciences having formed no part of their educa- 

 tion. The evil effects of this absence of a just appreciation of science 

 have of late years been considerably lessened ; and there are good 

 grounds for hoping that they will ere long entirely disappear. 



My inquiries, at the Museum in Jermyn Street, as to the progress 

 made by the Survey, and the works connected with it, during the 

 last year, were most readily responded to by the able and zealous 

 Director-General, and by all the gentlemen of the establishment, 

 from whom I sought information. The contributions it has made 

 to the science of geology, rather than to practical questions, more 

 especially belong to this address ; and most gladly would I have 

 endeavoured to lay before you some account of them; but to do so 

 in any intelhgible manner would have led me far beyond the limits 

 which I must observe in order to notice other subjects to which I 

 wish to draw your attention. Among the most interesting, how- 

 ever, I may particularize the work commenced personally by Pro- 

 fessor Bamsay, and afterwards accomplished, under his superin- 

 tendence, by his able assistants, Mr. Geikie and Mr. Howell, in the 

 Lothians. On two sheets of the 1-inch scale Ordnance Map are 

 delineated the geological features, singularly varied and impressive 

 in so limited an area, of the Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous 

 strata, with the numerous varieties of felstone, porphyry, and trap, 

 imbedded and intrusive. No one can examine those maps without 

 feeling impatient for the publication of the memoirs explanatory of 

 them, one of which is now in the press. There can be few districts 

 which it would be more interesting to an experienced geologist to 

 travel over, or one more advantageous to a learner to explore and 

 study. I can testify to the great addition to our knowledge, theo- 

 retical and practical, which is given by these maps ; and I feel 



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