152 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland. 



In his Anniversary Address of 1840, Dr. Buckland adverted to 

 the recent establishment, by the Government of that time, of the 

 Museum of Economic Geology. It not only received encourage- 

 ment from their successors, but has been placed by them on a more 

 enlarged and comprehensive plan. During the last year the Geolo- 

 gical Survey of Great Britain and Ireland has been transferred from 

 the direction of the Master General of the Ordnance to that of the 

 Chief Commissioner of Her Majesty's Woods and Works ; and that 

 Survey and the Museum of Economic Geology are now united un- 

 der one management. The establishment is supported by an annual 

 parliamentary grant, which in the last session amounted to 8850^, 

 including the Museum of Economic Geology in Dublin ; and large 

 premises are about to be built by Government in a central part of 

 the metropolis for the accommodation of the several departments, the 

 extension of the Museum, and the accomplishment of other useful 

 plans that are in contemplation. It is a reproach to former Govern- 

 ments that the formation of such an institution should have been 

 left to recent times, in a country deriving so much wealth, import- 

 ance and power from its mineral treasures. 



When we consider the high qualifications of the officers selected 

 by the Government for carrying out this scheme, we may look for- 

 ward with confidence to their rendering important services to geo- 

 logical science, as well as to mining interests, the arts and manu- 

 factures. Sir Henry De la Beche is, as you are aware, the Director- 

 general ; and his indefatigable zeal and exertions, and above all the 

 judgement shown by him in his recommendations of the other officers, 

 cannot be too highly estimated. Mr. Andrew Ramsay is Director 

 of the Survey of Great Britain ; Captain James, of the Royal 

 Engineers, is Director of that of Ireland ; Professor Edward Forbes 

 is Palaeontologist, and Mr. Warrington Smyth, Mining Geologist for 

 the United Kingdom ; and there is reason to believe that Dr. Hooker 

 will be appointed to the department of Botany *. Mr. John Phil- 

 lips is engaged in the Survey of the North of England, and one 

 laboratory of the Museum of Economic Geology is under the di- 

 rection of Mr. Richard Phillips, one of the founders of this Society, 

 and another under the direction of Dr. Lyon Playfair. There are 

 besides several able officers in different departments. 



You have this day had placed on your table a most valuable 

 donation from Her Majesty's Chief Commissioner of Woods and 

 Works, viz. twenty-four sheets of the Ordnance Map of England, 

 coloured geologically, and about thirty large plates of Sections 

 emanating from this establishment. They will go on publishing the 

 Maps of the districts, and the Sections belonging to them, as the 

 Survey of each is completed. They are to publish Memoirs drawn 

 up by different persons engaged in the Survey, and two volumes of 

 these are now in the press, one of them in a very advanced state. 



* Dr. Hooker's appointment has since taken place. 



