XXXU PEOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



the fact that he became a Fellow of this Society in 1848, in which 

 year he also communicated to the Society an interesting paper 

 " On change of Climate resulting from a change in the Earth's Axis 

 of Rotation. " This paper, which derives additional interest from 

 the discussions which have been recently carried on, was fully dis- 

 cussed by Sir H. Delabeche in his Anniversary Address of the 

 same year *. Sir John Lubbock died at High Elm, Farnboro', Kent, 

 on the 20th of June, 1865, at the age of Q2. 



Mr. Nicholas "Wood was born in 1795. Having from an early 

 age directed his attention to mining engineering, he became one of 

 the most distinguished colliery-viewers in the north of England. 

 This did not prevent his pursuing many branches of scientific inves- 

 tigation, amongst the most important of which was the encourage- 

 ment he gave from a very early date to the introduction of the rail- 

 way system. He it was who first wrote upon the subject, and 

 showed how the tramways which had been used for local purposes 

 might be made available for more general travelling. Under his 

 auspices the Stephensons became famous and the locomotive engine 

 was perfected, and he will ever hold high rank wherever the science 

 of the nineteenth century, in the development of which he took so 

 great a share, is known. 



In 1831 he read before the Natural History Society of Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne a paper " On the Geology of Northumberland and Cumber- 

 land," illustrated by a map and numerous sections, exhibiting the 

 true coal-fields, the Millstone-grit, and Mountain-limestone districts. 

 He also pointed out the effect of a remarkable dyke in dislocating 

 or throwing down a portion of the Newcastle coal-field so as to ren- 

 "der it available for mining in a district where, in the ordinary range 

 of the strata, no coal would otherwise have been found. The value 

 of these illustrations was great in a practical point of view, and the 

 merit of such researches was enhanced by the comparative infancy 

 of the science. 



In 1844 Mr. Wood proposed at a meeting at Newcastle the regis- 

 tration of mining operations, the importance of which, in a geological 

 no less than a commercial point of view, can hardly be exaggerated. 

 In founding the Northern Institute of Mining Engineers at Newcastle 

 in September 1852, Mr. Wood dehvered an address which comprises a 

 review of many of the most important subjects connected with prac- 

 tical coal-winning. He was eminently practical in his views, and 

 it is worthy of special notice that in this address he placed geology 

 in a prominent position. He said that the study of Geology and all 

 its concomitant branches of science — Mineralogy, Chemistry, Me- 

 chanical Philosophy, Pneumatics, and Mechanics — are all subjects 

 which might usefully and profitably occupy the time and attention 

 of all the members of the Institution, and of the meetings of the 

 Institution collectively. He also added suggestions for the collec- 

 tion of plans and records as a means of cultivating and extending 

 geological science. 



* See Quart. Jom'n. Geol. Soc. vol. v. pp. 4 and Ixxxiv. 



