﻿1 
  PKOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [May 
  1 
  897, 
  

  

  study 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  districts 
  which 
  he 
  visited. 
  His 
  

   comprehensive 
  eye 
  enabled 
  him 
  rapidly 
  to 
  appreciate 
  and 
  to 
  grasp 
  

   the 
  leading 
  features, 
  topographical 
  and 
  geological, 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  areas 
  

   which 
  in 
  those 
  days 
  possessed 
  an 
  exceptional 
  geological 
  interest 
  ; 
  

   and 
  those 
  who 
  in 
  later 
  years 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  accompany 
  

   him 
  to 
  such 
  spots 
  were 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  how 
  retentive 
  was 
  his 
  

   memory 
  and 
  how 
  intimate 
  was 
  his 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  every 
  pit, 
  

   quarry, 
  and 
  rock-section 
  that 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  illustrated 
  the 
  geological 
  

   problem 
  under 
  consideration. 
  

  

  His 
  first 
  papers 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  Gamrie 
  Ichthyolites 
  and 
  Shells 
  in 
  

   the 
  Till 
  of 
  Banffshire, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Coalbrook 
  Dale, 
  

   published 
  in 
  the 
  Transactions 
  of 
  this 
  Society 
  in 
  1835. 
  This 
  was 
  

   followed 
  by 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  papers 
  on 
  Tertiary 
  Geology 
  which 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  

   be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Journals 
  of 
  this 
  Society. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1858, 
  Dr. 
  Hugh 
  Falconer 
  urged 
  upon 
  Mr. 
  Prest- 
  

   wich's 
  attention 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  investigating 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  the 
  

   evidences 
  for 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  M. 
  Boucher 
  de 
  Perthes 
  of 
  flint 
  

   implements 
  of 
  prehistoric 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  gravel-deposits 
  of 
  the 
  Valley 
  

   of 
  the 
  Somme, 
  which 
  were 
  then 
  somewhat 
  doubtfully 
  received, 
  and 
  

   in 
  April 
  1859 
  Mr. 
  Prestwich 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Abbeville, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  

   joined 
  by 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Evans. 
  Thence 
  they 
  went 
  to 
  Amiens, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  gravel-beds 
  of 
  St. 
  Acheul 
  saw 
  for 
  themselves, 
  still 
  embedded 
  in 
  

   its 
  matrix, 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  implements 
  of 
  unquestionable 
  human 
  

   workmanship, 
  the 
  asserted 
  existence 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  alluvial 
  deposits 
  

   had 
  met 
  with 
  so 
  much 
  doubt. 
  The 
  previous 
  discoveries, 
  thus 
  

   verified, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  supplemented 
  by 
  researches 
  conducted 
  on 
  

   lines 
  which 
  could 
  with 
  confidence 
  be 
  laid 
  down, 
  soon 
  led 
  to 
  an 
  

   entire 
  revolution 
  in 
  the 
  then 
  existing 
  ideas 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  antiquity 
  of 
  

   man. 
  In 
  the 
  Compte-rendu 
  of 
  the 
  Societe 
  Geologique 
  de 
  Prance, 
  

   No. 
  15, 
  Seance 
  du 
  9 
  JNovembre 
  1896, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  feeling 
  reference 
  to 
  

   his 
  long 
  connexion 
  with 
  that 
  Society. 
  He 
  was 
  introduced 
  into 
  it 
  in 
  

   1838 
  by 
  Constant 
  Prevost 
  and 
  Deshayes 
  ; 
  he 
  was 
  therefore 
  for 
  58 
  

   years 
  a 
  Member, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  he 
  was 
  elected 
  a 
  Yice-President. 
  

   His 
  Prench 
  geological 
  work 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   importance, 
  and 
  as 
  being 
  a 
  model 
  for 
  all. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Prestwich 
  was 
  elected 
  a 
  Pellow 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society 
  as 
  

   long 
  ago 
  as 
  1833, 
  and 
  in 
  1849 
  the 
  Wollaston 
  Medal 
  was 
  awarded 
  to 
  

   him 
  for 
  his 
  researches 
  at 
  Coalbrook 
  Dale 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Basin. 
  

   He 
  served 
  the 
  Society 
  as 
  Treasurer 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  and 
  as 
  Presi- 
  

   dent 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  from 
  1870 
  to 
  1872. 
  In 
  1853 
  he 
  was 
  elected 
  a 
  

   Pellow 
  of 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society, 
  afterwards 
  serving 
  on 
  its 
  Council, 
  and 
  

  

  