﻿ANNIVERSARY 
  ADDRESS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PRESIDENT. 
  69 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  question 
  which 
  has 
  occurred 
  to 
  me, 
  and, 
  I 
  think, 
  probably 
  

   to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  foreign 
  geologists 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  occasion 
  to 
  consult 
  

   the 
  178 
  pages 
  of 
  details, 
  is 
  this 
  : 
  — 
  In 
  what 
  way 
  does 
  all 
  this 
  work 
  

   contribute 
  to 
  the 
  Unification 
  of 
  Geological 
  Nomenclature 
  ? 
  It 
  is 
  

   easy 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  Reports 
  under 
  consideration 
  will 
  facilitate 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  to 
  fit 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Isles 
  to 
  the 
  

   map 
  of 
  Europe, 
  though 
  even 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  some 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   the 
  correlation 
  between 
  British 
  and 
  continental 
  strata 
  is 
  necessary. 
  

   Undoubtedly, 
  too, 
  the 
  information 
  given 
  in 
  these 
  Reports 
  will 
  be 
  most 
  

   useful 
  to 
  compilers 
  of 
  general 
  works 
  on 
  Geology, 
  whilst 
  to 
  all 
  British 
  

   geologists 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  advantage 
  to 
  have 
  within 
  reasonable 
  compass 
  

   so 
  general 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  stratified 
  rocks. 
  But 
  unless 
  I 
  

   am 
  much 
  mistaken, 
  the 
  object 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  view 
  is 
  the 
  estab- 
  

   lishment 
  of 
  a 
  general 
  classification 
  for 
  the 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  or 
  at 
  

   all 
  events 
  of 
  Europe, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  the 
  careful 
  and 
  elaborate 
  details 
  

   upon 
  which 
  so 
  much 
  labour 
  has 
  been 
  expended 
  by 
  the 
  reporters 
  

   appear 
  superfluous. 
  As 
  the 
  British 
  strata 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  largely 
  

   taken 
  as 
  types, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Cretaceous, 
  Jurassic, 
  Silurian, 
  and 
  

   Cambrian 
  systems, 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  names 
  is 
  important 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  

   general 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom, 
  arranged 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  latest 
  information 
  available, 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  sufficient 
  for 
  

   purposes 
  of 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  strata 
  of 
  other 
  countries. 
  If 
  com- 
  

   parison 
  with 
  the 
  systems 
  and 
  stages 
  of 
  distant 
  countries 
  was 
  con- 
  

   templated, 
  far 
  more 
  complete 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  palaeontology 
  should 
  

   have 
  been 
  given. 
  In 
  short, 
  I 
  venture, 
  with 
  some 
  diffidence, 
  to 
  

   suggest 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  may 
  produce 
  upon 
  those 
  who, 
  like 
  myself, 
  

   approach 
  the 
  question 
  from 
  a 
  foreign 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  the 
  impression 
  

   that 
  there 
  is 
  too 
  much 
  of 
  data 
  that 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  use 
  except 
  

   to 
  local 
  geologists, 
  and 
  too 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  information 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  

   useful 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  other 
  countries. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  principles 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  work 
  has 
  

   been 
  compiled 
  are 
  those 
  stated 
  in 
  Professor 
  Hughes's 
  Preface. 
  In 
  

   this 
  he 
  urges 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  a 
  natural, 
  as 
  opposed 
  to 
  an 
  artificial 
  

   system, 
  and 
  points 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  greatest 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  

   classification 
  of 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  are 
  obviously 
  those 
  which 
  

   indicate 
  changes 
  of 
  condition 
  affecting 
  sedimentation 
  and 
  life. 
  He 
  

   then 
  proceeds 
  to 
  explain 
  what 
  he 
  means 
  by 
  an 
  artificial 
  system 
  ; 
  

   and 
  here 
  I 
  would 
  venture 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  a 
  different 
  view 
  may 
  be 
  

   taken 
  of 
  the 
  matter. 
  

  

  If 
  Professor 
  Hughes 
  had 
  confined 
  himself 
  to 
  urging 
  that 
  in 
  

   classifying 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  any 
  limited 
  region, 
  or 
  even 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  the 
  

  

  