﻿74 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  of 
  another. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  present 
  information 
  goes, 
  we 
  must, 
  I 
  

   believe, 
  in 
  mapping 
  out 
  geological 
  periods 
  and 
  epochs, 
  rely 
  upon 
  

   ■what 
  Professor 
  Huxley 
  has 
  called 
  " 
  sea-reckoning 
  " 
  alone. 
  

  

  4. 
  There 
  is 
  one 
  other 
  feature 
  of 
  each 
  Congress 
  that 
  has 
  hitherto 
  

   produced 
  a 
  sensibly 
  beneficial 
  effect 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  exhibition 
  of 
  maps 
  

   and 
  specimens. 
  This 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  objects 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  Congress 
  

   was 
  originally 
  constituted, 
  and 
  one 
  the 
  usefulness 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  un- 
  

   questionable. 
  At 
  every 
  meeting 
  many 
  geological 
  maps 
  from 
  various 
  

   countries 
  have 
  been 
  exhibited, 
  and 
  have 
  afforded 
  an 
  opportunity 
  

   for 
  the 
  comparison 
  of 
  different 
  systems 
  of 
  coloration, 
  signs, 
  &c. 
  

   Many 
  specimens 
  of 
  general 
  scientific 
  interest, 
  too, 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  

   to 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  those 
  present 
  at 
  the 
  Congress 
  ; 
  for 
  instance, 
  the 
  

   Trilobites 
  and 
  Corals 
  in 
  crystalline 
  schist 
  from 
  Xorvray, 
  exhibited 
  

   by 
  Prof. 
  Beusch 
  in 
  Berlin, 
  the 
  Belemnites 
  in 
  metamorphic 
  rock 
  from 
  

   the 
  Alps, 
  shown 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Heim, 
  and 
  the 
  striated 
  fragments 
  (apparently 
  7 
  

   showing 
  glacial 
  markings) 
  from 
  Carboniferous 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Punjab, 
  

   exhibited 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Oldham 
  in 
  London. 
  

  

  Comparing 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  the 
  Congress 
  with 
  the 
  objects 
  of 
  

   its 
  founders, 
  it 
  may 
  briefly 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  Congress 
  has 
  succeeded, 
  

   to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  in 
  getting 
  together 
  comparative 
  collections, 
  

   maps, 
  and 
  sections, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  settled 
  many 
  obscure 
  points 
  

   relating 
  to 
  geological 
  classification 
  and 
  nomenclature. 
  

  

  There 
  remains 
  one 
  other 
  subject 
  to 
  consider, 
  the 
  probable 
  effect 
  

   of 
  the 
  Congress 
  upon 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  Geological 
  Science. 
  This, 
  

   I 
  believe, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  is 
  commonly 
  

   supposed, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  quite 
  apart 
  from 
  that 
  leading 
  to 
  

   the 
  geological 
  millennium 
  which 
  was 
  anticipated 
  when 
  we 
  should 
  

   have 
  achieved 
  a 
  uniform 
  geological 
  nomenclature 
  and 
  system 
  of 
  

   representation 
  by 
  maps. 
  The 
  principal 
  result 
  so 
  far 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   bringing 
  tcgether 
  man}- 
  geologists 
  from 
  different 
  countries, 
  and 
  

   affording 
  them 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  becoming 
  personally 
  known 
  to 
  

   each 
  other. 
  The 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  geological 
  research, 
  

   and 
  the 
  consequent 
  reaction 
  of 
  one 
  observer's 
  discoveries 
  upon 
  

   another 
  who 
  is 
  inquiring 
  into 
  a 
  cognate 
  subject 
  in 
  a 
  distant 
  country, 
  

   is 
  very 
  great, 
  and 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  increase. 
  By 
  this 
  means 
  a 
  much 
  

   greater 
  step 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  towards 
  unification 
  of 
  nomenclature 
  and 
  

   maps 
  than 
  would 
  result 
  from 
  the 
  appeal 
  to 
  a 
  majority 
  at 
  a 
  

   Congress. 
  

  

  Another 
  advantage 
  is 
  the 
  bringing 
  together 
  and 
  publishing 
  the 
  

  

  