Clviii PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



Having in my last address endeavoured to give a correct repre- 

 sentation of the amount and success of the labours of the many- 

 eminent men engaged under Sir Roderick Murchison in the National 

 Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, I shall not now go 

 over the same ground further than to state, that Mr. "W. Baily has 

 been attached to the Irish section of the work, and will, under the 

 able superintendence of Mr. Jukes, be soon able to place the palaeon- 

 tology of Ireland on an equal footing with that of Great Britain : I 

 trust he will be appointed palaeontologist to Ireland, and have the 

 means afforded him to emulate the bright example, and to secure 

 the well-merited honours, of the English palaeontologist, Mr. Salter. 



Let me now close my address with a few general remarks, sum- 

 ming up, as it were, the views I have already expressed ; maintaining 

 as I do, that in all branches of geological inquiry there are still many 

 important links of evidence deficient. At the same time let me add 

 that I consider we are on the right way now to get over all diffi- 

 culties, provided we continue to adhere to the true principles of 

 inductive science, and abandon the common custom of rushing wildly 

 to conclusions upon the most vague and insufficient data. The Rev. 

 Baden Powell says, in respect to the bearing of scientific progress 

 on theological reasoning — " The unparalleled advances in physical 

 science which characterize the present age alone suffice to stamp a 

 totally different character on the spirit of all its deductions ; and 

 they now are, and will be to a far greater extent, influential on the 

 tone of theology. It is now perceived by all inquiring minds, that 

 the advance of true scientific principles, and the grand inductive con- 

 clusions of universal law and order, are at once the basis of all ra- 

 tional theology, and give the death-blow to superstition." And in 

 like manner, that every true advance in science has a direct tendency 

 to make men more scrupulous and careful in drawing deductions 

 from facts observed. 



The actual condition of the earth's crust ; the order and manner 

 in which the various changes from its primaeval condition have been 

 effected ; the real nature of metamorphism, the means by which it 

 has been effected, the original and the ultimate condition of the rocks 

 acted upon ; the nature of creation, the mode of progression and di- 

 stribution of organic bodies, — are all subjects which men now think 

 it necessary to examine patiently and systematically, neither jumping 

 rashly at conclusions, nor flippantly sneering at those who see the 

 same objects in a totally different light. We have every reason, 

 indeed, to expect to obtain great results, because we are at last de- 

 termined to follow after truth, whatever may be the path she takes, 

 or the aspect she assumes. 



It is this general recognition of the authority of truth which has 

 enabled men of science to reason fearlessly on many subjects which 

 were considered, not very many years since, proscribed from inquiry, 

 and expected to be received and admitted without hesitation and with- 

 out question : the mode of creation was one of these, as it was laid 

 down as a rule that the Mosaic account was not only in spirit but in 

 letter inspired, and that human discoveries were only illusions when 



