﻿lxiv 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [May 
  1897,- 
  

  

  were 
  almost 
  unique, 
  and 
  he 
  combined 
  in 
  a 
  remarkable 
  manner 
  the 
  

   thoroughness 
  of 
  the 
  German 
  with 
  the 
  practical 
  good 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  

   English 
  man 
  of 
  science 
  : 
  while 
  his 
  contributions 
  to 
  knowledge 
  were 
  

   of 
  the 
  highest 
  value 
  as 
  pure 
  science, 
  they 
  were 
  also 
  of 
  great 
  

   economic 
  importance 
  and 
  helped 
  to 
  open 
  up 
  avenues 
  of 
  wealth 
  to 
  

   many 
  of 
  his 
  fellow-colonists. 
  

   He 
  died 
  on 
  October 
  9th, 
  1896. 
  

  

  David 
  Robertson, 
  the 
  well-known 
  Cumbrae 
  naturalist, 
  died 
  at 
  

   Millport 
  on 
  November 
  20th, 
  1896, 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  90. 
  He 
  was 
  

   a 
  native 
  of 
  Glasgow, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  40 
  years 
  he 
  lived 
  at 
  Millport, 
  

   and 
  devoted 
  his 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  with 
  so 
  

   much 
  success 
  that 
  in 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland 
  

   he 
  was 
  not 
  surpassed 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  naturalist. 
  His 
  collection 
  of 
  

   specimens 
  was 
  very 
  extensive 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  unique. 
  He 
  worked 
  for 
  

   long 
  in 
  a 
  floating 
  marine 
  station 
  called 
  The 
  Ark. 
  In 
  company 
  

   with 
  Dr. 
  John 
  Murray, 
  of 
  the 
  Challenger 
  expedition, 
  he 
  dredged 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Firth 
  of 
  Clyde 
  for 
  marine 
  specimens. 
  Mainly 
  

   through 
  Dr. 
  Robertson's 
  efforts 
  the 
  foundation-stone 
  of 
  a 
  permanent 
  

   marine 
  station 
  was 
  lately 
  laid. 
  Two 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  

   Glasgow 
  conferred 
  on 
  him 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  LL.D. 
  He 
  also 
  held 
  several 
  

   foreign 
  diplomas. 
  He 
  was 
  elected 
  a 
  Fellow 
  of 
  this 
  Society 
  in 
  

   1877. 
  

  

  William 
  Armstrong, 
  who 
  was 
  elected 
  a 
  Fellow 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  in 
  

   1866, 
  died 
  at 
  the 
  ripe 
  age 
  of 
  84, 
  on 
  Nov. 
  3rd, 
  1896, 
  at 
  Pelaw 
  House, 
  

   near 
  Chester-le-Street. 
  He 
  was 
  perhaps 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  and 
  most 
  

   experienced 
  miniug 
  engineer 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  of 
  England, 
  and 
  throughout 
  

   Northumberland 
  and 
  Durham, 
  where 
  the 
  chief 
  work 
  of 
  his 
  life 
  was 
  

   done, 
  he 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Father 
  of 
  the 
  coal-trade. 
  Born 
  in 
  

   1812, 
  he 
  was 
  educated 
  at 
  Dr. 
  Brace's 
  academy, 
  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
  

   and 
  at 
  Edinburgh 
  University. 
  He 
  served 
  his 
  time 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Nicholas 
  

   Wood, 
  at 
  Killingworth, 
  Northumberland, 
  and 
  quickly 
  took 
  a 
  place 
  

   in 
  the 
  first 
  rank 
  of 
  the 
  able 
  body 
  of 
  mining 
  engineers 
  whose 
  work 
  

   it 
  was 
  to 
  open 
  up 
  and 
  develop 
  the 
  coalfields 
  of 
  Northumberland 
  

   and 
  Durham. 
  He 
  first 
  came 
  prominently 
  into 
  public 
  notice 
  in 
  

   connexion 
  with 
  the 
  hard-fought 
  strike 
  of 
  1843, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   ' 
  wire-rope 
  strike/ 
  when 
  he 
  practically 
  fought 
  for 
  and 
  won 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  wire 
  ropes 
  into 
  England 
  for 
  mining 
  purposes. 
  

  

  The 
  Rev. 
  William 
  Gover 
  died 
  on 
  Nov. 
  16th, 
  1896, 
  at 
  his 
  residence 
  

   in 
  Brighton, 
  in 
  his 
  79th 
  year. 
  He 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  scholar 
  of 
  Corpus 
  

  

  