ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. XXXI 



I must refer you to the report itself for an account of the phseno- 

 mena which would be presented to us were the bottom of the ^Egean 

 Sea to be elevated and converted into dry land, or to be filled up by 

 a long series of sedimentary depositions. He concludes by observing, 

 that, " supposing such an elevation to have taken place, a knowledge 

 of the association of species in the regions of depth would enable us 

 to form a pretty accurate notion of the depth of water in which each 

 bed was deposited. A beautiful illustration of this argument is given 

 from observations made on the island of Santorin, and under different 

 circumstances the contrary observations might be made ; the geologist 

 is thus enabled, by a careful examination of the successive overlying 

 groups of species, to ascertain whether, in any given locality brought 

 under his notice, the sea bottom was being elevated or depressed." 



But I have already dwelt too long on this report ; I must hasten 

 to other scenes in the life of Edward Forbes. During his stay in the 

 Mediterranean he made several excursions into Lycia, where he had 

 an opportunity of combining his love of art with the pursuit of 

 natural history. On one occasion, in company with Mr. Hoskyn, 

 they discovered and fixed the sites of two of the Cibyratic cities. A 

 second excursion undertaken with the Rev. Mr. Daniell and Captain, 

 then Lieutenant, Spratt, was still more important ; the sites of 

 eighteen ancient cities hitherto unknown to geographers were ex- 

 plored and determined, and the names of fifteen were identified by 

 inscriptions found amongst the ruins. During this expedition Mr. 

 Daniell fell a victim to the malignant malaria of the countr}'^, and the 

 life of Edward Forbes himself was at one time in danger. Indeed 

 there can be little doubt that at this time were sown the seeds of that 

 disease which has eventually deprived us of his services. He, how- 

 ever, gradually recovered, and was on the point of proceeding to 

 Egypt and the Red Sea on a dredging excursion, when he was in- 

 formed that he had been elected to fill the Chair of Botany in King's 

 College, vacant by the death of Professor Don. He returned imme- 

 diately to England, and, on the 8th May 1843, delivered his in- 

 augural lecture in that institution. 



But previously to this event. Professor Forbes had become intimately 

 connected with this Society. At the close of 1842 Mr. Lonsdale, 

 who for so many years had been the curator of our museum, resigned 

 his ofiice in consequence of the state of his health. In the report 

 of the Council read at the Annual General Meeting on February 1 7, 

 1843, 1 find the following passage, after alluding to the loss sustained 

 by the resignation of Mr. Lonsdale : — " In recording the election of 

 his successor, the ('ouncil cannot omit to congratulate the Society 

 on having secured the services of such a distinguished naturalist as 

 Mr. E. Forbes." I may appeal to the recollection of every member 

 of the Society for a confirmation of my statement, that the expecta- 

 tions then entertained, great as they unquestionably were, were more 

 than fulfilled by the manner in which Edward Forbes conducted the 

 business entrusted to him during the period that he held this im- 

 portant office. The report of the Museum Committee for 1844 will 

 show how his labours were appreciated by the Council. But before 



