﻿ANNIVERSARY 
  ADDRESS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PRESIDENT. 
  75 
  

  

  views 
  of 
  different 
  men 
  who 
  have 
  paid 
  attention 
  to 
  particular 
  points 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  science. 
  When 
  the 
  views 
  differ 
  

   so 
  widely 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  crystalline 
  schists, 
  but 
  small 
  progress 
  

   towards 
  unanimity 
  can 
  he 
  expected 
  ; 
  whereas 
  in 
  another 
  matter 
  

   discussed 
  at 
  the 
  London 
  Congress, 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Palaeo- 
  

   zoic 
  rocks, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  general 
  agreement 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  partition 
  into 
  

   three 
  of 
  the 
  Cambrian 
  and 
  Silurian 
  complex, 
  and 
  this 
  really 
  settles 
  

   the 
  question 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  on 
  pakeontological 
  grounds 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  division 
  or 
  Cambrian 
  must 
  be 
  classed 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  

   two. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt, 
  too, 
  that 
  the 
  wide 
  dissemination 
  of 
  

   the 
  discussion 
  on 
  a 
  geological 
  question 
  has 
  a 
  good 
  effect, 
  as 
  even 
  if 
  

   it 
  leads 
  to 
  no 
  results, 
  it 
  produces 
  thought 
  and 
  study 
  in 
  fresh 
  

   directions. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  already 
  expressed 
  my 
  grave 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  a 
  vote 
  in 
  

   any 
  Congress 
  can 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  a 
  qualified 
  majority, 
  

   and 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  many, 
  perhaps 
  all, 
  of 
  the 
  questions 
  

   proposed 
  for 
  solution 
  are 
  beyond 
  the 
  scientific 
  range 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  members. 
  The 
  first 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  

   voting 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Congress 
  was 
  

   held 
  outnumbered 
  all 
  others 
  present, 
  and 
  thus, 
  that 
  foreigners, 
  

   many 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  representative 
  men, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  

   especially 
  sent 
  to 
  represent 
  scientific 
  bodies 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  countries, 
  

   were 
  hopelessly 
  outvoted. 
  An 
  arrangement 
  adopted 
  at 
  the 
  London 
  

   Congress 
  will 
  obviate 
  this 
  difficulty 
  in 
  part, 
  it 
  having 
  been 
  decided 
  

   that 
  whenever 
  a 
  vote 
  is 
  taken 
  the 
  members 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  

   where 
  the 
  Congress 
  is 
  held 
  and 
  the 
  foreigners 
  shall 
  vote 
  separately, 
  

   and 
  unless 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  majority 
  in 
  each 
  class 
  of 
  members 
  the 
  vote 
  

   shall 
  be 
  null 
  and 
  void. 
  With 
  this 
  improvement 
  a 
  vote 
  may 
  occasion- 
  

   ally 
  be 
  taken, 
  but 
  its 
  value, 
  unless 
  the 
  agreement 
  is 
  almost 
  

   unanimous, 
  will 
  be 
  small, 
  unless 
  the 
  personal 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  

   minority 
  is 
  known. 
  

  

  Membership 
  of 
  the 
  Congress 
  in 
  Bologna 
  was 
  limited 
  to 
  authors 
  of 
  

   memoirs 
  on 
  geology, 
  palaeontology, 
  or 
  mining, 
  university 
  professors, 
  

   teachers 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  in 
  public 
  schools 
  and 
  technical 
  insti- 
  

   tutes, 
  doctors 
  of 
  natural 
  science 
  and 
  miniug 
  engineers 
  ; 
  but 
  still 
  

   the 
  opinions 
  of 
  theological, 
  classical, 
  mathematical, 
  or 
  chemical 
  pro- 
  

   fessors 
  on 
  geological 
  nomenclature, 
  or 
  of 
  mining 
  engineers 
  on 
  the 
  

   colours 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  geological 
  maps, 
  could 
  scarcely 
  be 
  considered 
  

   as 
  authoritative. 
  Where, 
  as 
  in 
  London, 
  the 
  qualification 
  for 
  

   membership 
  began 
  and 
  ended 
  with 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  ten 
  shillings, 
  the 
  

   idea 
  of 
  deciding 
  scientific 
  questions 
  by 
  a 
  majority 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

  

  