IxXVi PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



their own energies, rather than, by a disputation, sometimes bitter in 

 its tone, to encourage them by imitating their intolerance ! It is 

 indeed painful to think that any such cloud should at the last have 

 passed over the horizon of Hugh Miller's scientific life, and that a 

 spirit so energetic and an intellect so bright and vigorous should 

 have been abruptly and prematurely quenched for ever. 



This appears to me to be the fittest moment for endeavouring to re- 

 move thatfeeling of having beenunjustly condemned by my predecessor, 

 Mr. Hamilton, in his Anniversary Address, which Professor Sedgwick 

 has so strongly expressed. I have, indeed, been requested by Mr. Ha- 

 milton to state that he regrets having been led into an error in what 

 he stated in his Address from this chair last year, respecting the mo- 

 tives which led to the publication by Prof. Sedgwick of his paper on 

 the May Hill Sandstones in the ' Philosophical Magazine.' 



Mr. Hamilton has addressed a letter to the Council on this sub- 

 ject, in which he says, that "as it appears that Prof. Sedgwick 

 published his paper in the * Philosophical Magazine ' under the im- 

 pression that it had not been received or accepted by the Council, 

 he willingly acquits Prof. Sedgwick of any intention of infringing the 

 rules and practice of the Society, and regrets having made the state- 

 ment to that effect." 



Such are the words of Mr. Hamilton, and it is unnecessary to add 

 to so frank an avowal of an unintentional error anything beyond the 

 confirmation of its accuracy. 



It was indeed well known to every member of the Council that 

 the paper on the May Hill Sandstone had been accepted and referred 

 in the usual manner, as no one in the Council or in the Society 

 could for a moment have desired to prevent Professor Sedgwick, 

 whose labours had contributed so much to the progress of geology 

 and to the honour of the Society, from frankly expressing his opi- 

 nions on a subject not certainly free from difficulty, namely, the true 

 base of the Silurian System. The desire of the Council was simply 

 to keep the expression of that opinion within the limits of a scien- 

 tific discussion, and to free it from any taint of personality. In such 

 a matter dates sink into insignificance, as the real question is, does 

 the present evidence require and justify that a portion of the Silurian 

 System of Murchison should be separated from it, as defective in 

 organic connexion with the rest, or not 1 



The actual proceedings of the Council being therefore known to 

 Mr. Hamilton, he committed an error in supposing that Professor 

 Sedgwick was equally aware of it ; that error he admits, and it is 

 hoped, therefore, that with that admission this dispute will terminate, 

 and the old cordiahty of the Society be restored. 



Passing now to that review of Geological Progress which it is next 

 my duty to undertake, and which I shall endeavour to make as brief 

 as possible, I will commence by placing before you a notice by my 

 predecessor, our late lamented President, of a memoir on the Geo- 

 logy of the Peninsula, as it may be deemed a supplement to his own 



