XX PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



surVEcosse^' a most remarkable work to have been accomplished in 

 so short a time by one individual, a young man, especially consider- 

 ing the state of the science at that time. He was then, too, labouring 

 under the disadvantage of having been imbued with the system of 

 Werner, at that time exclusively taught by Professor Jameson : "J'ai 

 suivi," he says in his introduction, " dans mon travail les principes 

 de son ecole." But in justice to my excellent friend Professor Jame- 

 son, it must be said, that although he then taught an erroneous creed, 

 he inspired his scholars with a devotion to science which led to their 

 conversion to a sounder faith, as the same devotion to the cause of 

 sound Geology afterv^^ards led their master ; and in the same sen- 

 tence from which I quote the above words, his attached pupil says, 

 " J'ai mis a profit les interessantes lemons de M. Jameson." But Dr. 

 Boue was too acute and able a man to continue long fettered by the 

 dogmas of any school; he read the volume of nature himself, with- 

 out the aid of the Freyberg Professor as an interpreter, and he had 

 the merit of being one of the first who pointed out to continental 

 geologists the unsoundness of the Wernerian hypotheses. Humboldt 

 frequently alludes to this first work of our distinguished Foreign 

 Member, in his ' Essai sur le Gissement des Roches,' and always 

 with approbation ; and even the severe MacCulloch speaks of it with 

 comparative respect. 



Dr. Boue next brought out various Memoirs on the Geology of 

 France and Germany, the fruits of his researches during several 

 summers occupied in exploring these countries ; and in these he was 

 the first to maintain that the Muschelkalk and Quadersandstein of 

 the Germans were not identical with any English formations, but 

 distinct beds. These memoirs were embodied in his ' Geognostical 

 Picture of Germany.' He undertook the difficult and dangerous 

 task of exploring European Turkey, which occupied him several 

 years, the results of which he published in an elaborate work, which 

 gives the first authentic account of the geology of this little-known 

 region. His various journeys were undertaken at his own expense: 

 he never accepted any public appointment, although the Chair of 

 Geology at Geneva was offered to him some years ago through the 

 influence of Professor De la Rive and others. Dr. Boue was one 

 of the founders of the Geological Society of France in 1830; he 

 and M. Elie de Beaumont v/ere its first Secretaries; he was Vice- 

 President in 1834^ when he gave a " Resume des Progres des Sci- 

 ences Geologiques pendant I'Annee 1833," which occupies the whole 

 of the fifth volume of the Bulletin of the Society ; and in 1835 he 

 was elected its President. Pie is now resident at Vienna, pursuing 

 his geological researches with unabated ardour. I received a letter 

 from him three days ago, in reply to that in which I announced to 

 him the award of the Wollaston Medal ; be regrets his inability to 

 be present to receive it, and he adds, that he is deeply sensible of 

 the unexpected honour that has thus been conferred upon him. 



On receiving the Medal, Sir Roderick Murchison replied as 

 follows i 



