liv PROCEEDINGS OP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Juiie I912, 



friends the Lyells, that Joseph Hooker, soon after he attained 

 to manhood, was introduced to Charles Darwin ; and henceforward 

 the lives and life-work of the three friends were bound together 

 by innumerable links. 



Pired like Charles Darwin with a passion for foreign travel 

 and research, young Joseph Hooker in 1839 joined the Antarctic 

 •expedition of H.M. ships Erehus and !r<3>'ror under James Clark Ross. 

 It is not necessary here to refer to the important discoveries, both 

 in geographical and physical science, which we owe to that expedi- 

 tion ; but during the four years' voyage in which Hooker, like 

 Darwin, circumnavigated the globe, though in different latitudes, 

 he was able to make very notable contributions to Natural History. 

 Not only did he accumulate that mass of botanical materials from 

 Kerguelen Island, New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Tierra del 

 Puego, and the Falkland Islands, which, after twenty years of labour, 

 ■enabled him to publish his epoch-making essays on the origin of 

 the southern floras, but, incidentally, he lighted upon a discovery 

 which has had a very important influence on the progress of our 

 ■own science. 



While dissecting marine animals brought up from great depths — 

 for, while acting as assistant surgeon and botanist to the Erebus, 

 he never allowed his scientific interests to be circumscribed by 

 these duties — , Hooker had his attention drawn to the existence 

 •of the wide-spread diatomaceous ooze of the Antarctic regions, and 

 thus was led to initiate those studies of the deep-sea organic 

 deposits, the important developments and results of which in 

 Tccent times the young naturalist fortunately lived to see. Had 

 Hooker never accomplished more than this, he would have estab- 

 lished a strong claim on the gratitude of the cultivators of 

 -geological science for all time. 



Returning to England in 18-i3, Hooker for some years assisted 

 his father in the formation of his famous herbarium ; but on 

 April 1st, 18-16, he was appointed 'Botanist to the Geological 

 Survey ' in succession to Henfrey. A week later, we find that a 

 nomination certificate for this Society was signed hy his chief, 

 Sir Henry De la Beche, his colleague Edward Eorbes, and, in 

 addition, by John Carrick Moore and Charles Darwin ; and, although 

 his connexion with the Geological Survey lasted only eighteen 

 months, Hooker was able in that time to accomplish some very 

 important work. Three memoirs from his pen on the plants of 

 the Coal Measures, illustrated by ten beautiful plates and other 



