part 1] ANNIVERSARY MEETING WOLLASTON MEDAL. xliil 



medium through whom this Medal is passed to you, for it was my 

 good fortune many years ago to be instructed by you in the methods 

 of the Geological Survey, and our comradeship has never since been 

 broken. 



Sir Aubrey Strahan replied in the following words : — 



Mr. President, — 



The award of this Medal to me by the Council of the Geological 

 Society, and the expression of kindly feeling which has marked 

 your presentation of it, have touched me deeply. It is nearly 

 44 years since I was elected to the Society, and since, almost 

 simultaneously, I was appointed to the Staff: of the Geological 

 Surve} r . During that time it has been my ambition to carry out 

 my duties in the public service in such manner as best to render 

 them useful to the community. The attainment of precision in 

 geological surveying may be an unattainable ideal, but the attempt 

 to secure it involves an amount of patient labour, of which the 

 map speaks less eloquently than the printed volume. Your 

 appreciatory remarks upon the maps with which I am concerned 

 give me special gratification. 



Though of late years my time has been largely taken up with 

 administrative duties, I have endeavoured, when circumstances 

 permitted, to add to that great record of research which is pre- 

 served in the publications of this Society. I venture to believe 

 that the cordial co-operation between the Society and the Surve}^, 

 which has been so pleasing a feature in the past, has been maintained 

 during my tenure of office as Director. 



The declaration of War, six months after I was appointed to the 

 post, profoundly affected the operations of our staff, and necessitated 

 concentration upon economic problems which were the direct 

 outcome of hostilities. During this troublous time }'our assistance 

 was invaluable to me, and you have now added to my debt by 

 the kindness of your words to-day. M}^ time for retiring from the 

 Public Service is approaching; but. whatever my future occupations 

 may be, the award of this Medal and the manner of its bestowal 

 will remain among my most cherished recollections. 



