﻿ANNIVERSARY 
  ADDRESS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PRESIDENT. 
  

  

  61 
  

  

  A 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions, 
  drawn 
  up 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Persifor 
  Frazer 
  and 
  

   translated 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Dewalque, 
  was 
  circulated 
  separately. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  regretted 
  that 
  a 
  similar 
  resume 
  of 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  

   Sub-Committees 
  was 
  not 
  prepared. 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Congress, 
  it 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  seen, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  

   time, 
  is 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  an 
  undertaking 
  begun 
  with 
  great, 
  if 
  somewhat 
  

   misdirected, 
  zeal 
  and 
  energy, 
  and 
  gradually 
  descending 
  in 
  its 
  aims, 
  

   till, 
  from 
  attempting 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  universal 
  geological 
  language, 
  and 
  

   to 
  regulate 
  the 
  coloration, 
  signs, 
  and 
  scale 
  of 
  geological 
  maps 
  in 
  

   general, 
  it 
  has 
  contented 
  itself 
  with 
  supervising 
  the 
  issue 
  of 
  a 
  map 
  

   of 
  Europe 
  in 
  which 
  both 
  classification 
  and 
  colour 
  are 
  admittedly 
  

   tentative 
  ; 
  whilst, 
  instead 
  of 
  deciding 
  points 
  of 
  primary 
  importance 
  

   by 
  votes, 
  it 
  discusses 
  questions, 
  sometimes 
  of 
  secondary 
  importance, 
  

   without 
  attempting 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  any 
  law. 
  In 
  passing 
  from 
  Bologna 
  

   to 
  Berlin, 
  and 
  from 
  Berlin 
  to 
  London, 
  there 
  has 
  certainly 
  been 
  

   a 
  tendency 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Congress 
  to 
  abdicate 
  its 
  early 
  preten- 
  

   sions, 
  to 
  collect 
  information, 
  and 
  to 
  cease 
  from 
  issuing 
  edicts. 
  It 
  

   now 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  what 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  

   1891 
  in 
  Philadelphia 
  ; 
  whether 
  the 
  Congress 
  will 
  rise 
  again, 
  Antseus- 
  

   like, 
  in 
  its 
  pristine 
  vigour, 
  from 
  contact 
  with 
  its 
  native 
  soil 
  ; 
  or 
  

   whether 
  it 
  will 
  resolve 
  itself 
  into 
  the 
  intercalation 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  mild 
  

   academic 
  discussion 
  between 
  much 
  more 
  largely 
  developed 
  schemes 
  

   of 
  social 
  amusement 
  — 
  a 
  fashion 
  not 
  unknown 
  in 
  other 
  scientific 
  

   meetings, 
  especially 
  when 
  ladies 
  are 
  admitted. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  how 
  far 
  the 
  institution 
  of 
  a 
  triennial 
  Congress 
  has 
  

   hitherto 
  fulfilled 
  the 
  expectations 
  of 
  its 
  founders, 
  it 
  becomes 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  discuss 
  the 
  apparent 
  results 
  hitherto 
  obtained. 
  These 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  terms 
  adopted 
  at 
  Bologna 
  ; 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  subdivisions 
  and 
  colouring 
  adopted 
  on 
  the 
  geological 
  

  

  map 
  of 
  Europe 
  ; 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  various 
  Eeports 
  from 
  different 
  national 
  and 
  international 
  

  

  Committees, 
  and 
  all 
  other 
  documents 
  published 
  in 
  con- 
  

   nexion 
  with 
  the 
  Congress. 
  

  

  4. 
  The 
  exhibition 
  of 
  maps 
  and 
  specimens. 
  

  

  On 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  may 
  be 
  added. 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  various 
  terms 
  for 
  strata 
  and 
  time 
  adopted 
  at 
  Bologna 
  have 
  

   been 
  accepted 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  abroad, 
  but 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  

   found 
  but 
  small 
  favour 
  with 
  English 
  geologists. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  

   Reports 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Sub-Committees 
  on 
  classification 
  and 
  nomen- 
  

  

  