﻿7 
  6 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  absurd. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Association, 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  being 
  largely 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  Geological 
  Congress, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  must, 
  if 
  voting 
  becomes 
  necessary, 
  select 
  an 
  inner 
  body 
  or 
  

   committee, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  experts 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  

   that 
  no 
  one 
  is 
  equally 
  informed 
  in 
  all 
  branches. 
  The 
  opinion 
  of 
  a 
  

   geologist 
  who 
  has 
  devoted 
  his 
  life 
  to 
  Palaeozoic 
  strata 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  

   of 
  much 
  value 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  sought 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  line 
  between 
  Eocene 
  and 
  

   Miocene, 
  and 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  even 
  less 
  competent 
  to 
  decide 
  on 
  questions 
  

   of 
  petrological 
  nomenclature, 
  whilst 
  a 
  petrologist 
  with 
  a 
  world-wide 
  

   reputation 
  may 
  never 
  in 
  his 
  life 
  have 
  had 
  to 
  colour 
  a 
  geological 
  map 
  

   or 
  have 
  thought 
  over 
  the 
  principles 
  involved. 
  

  

  One 
  good 
  effect 
  the 
  Congress 
  has 
  had 
  already. 
  It 
  has 
  set 
  itself 
  

   steadily 
  against 
  the 
  adoption 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  sundry 
  

   visionary 
  and 
  impracticable 
  suggestions, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  

   has 
  steadily 
  decreased. 
  An 
  admirable 
  example 
  has 
  been 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  what 
  are 
  termed 
  by 
  many 
  geologists 
  homophonic 
  termina- 
  

   tions. 
  It 
  was 
  proposed 
  that 
  all 
  names 
  of 
  systems 
  should 
  end 
  in 
  -ic, 
  

   series 
  in 
  -ian, 
  &c. 
  The 
  proposal 
  found 
  no 
  favour 
  with 
  Teutonic- 
  

   speaking 
  peoples, 
  and 
  was 
  therefore 
  unsuited 
  for 
  a 
  Congress 
  in 
  

   which 
  various 
  languages 
  were 
  represented 
  : 
  but 
  it 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   favourite 
  project 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Nomenclature 
  

   Committee, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  consequently 
  been 
  brought 
  forward 
  promi- 
  

   nently 
  in 
  the 
  Ileport 
  presented 
  to 
  three 
  Congresses 
  in 
  succession. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not, 
  I 
  think, 
  likely 
  to 
  reappear. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  preceding 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Congress 
  and 
  its 
  labours 
  have 
  extended 
  has 
  left 
  me 
  no 
  time 
  to 
  

   dilate 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  geological 
  events 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  year. 
  There 
  are 
  

   but 
  few 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  refer. 
  The 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Geological 
  Record 
  ' 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  1880-1884 
  should 
  

   not, 
  however, 
  be 
  passed 
  over 
  without 
  notice. 
  A 
  second 
  volume 
  has 
  

   yet 
  to 
  appear. 
  To 
  have 
  even 
  an 
  instalment 
  is 
  unquestionably 
  

   a 
  gain, 
  and 
  geologists 
  are 
  under 
  many 
  obligations 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Topley 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Sherborn 
  for 
  having 
  rescued 
  the 
  work 
  from 
  complete 
  col- 
  

   lapse 
  ; 
  but 
  still 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  for 
  serious 
  regret 
  that 
  the 
  annual 
  

   volumes 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  interrupted. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  as 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  importance 
  to 
  all 
  working 
  

   geologists 
  of 
  having 
  a 
  Geological 
  liecord 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  argue 
  that 
  the 
  

   best 
  language 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  is 
  English. 
  But 
  the 
  labour 
  involved 
  

   in 
  preparing 
  and 
  editing 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  is 
  excessive, 
  and 
  the 
  

   difficulty 
  of 
  establishing 
  a 
  permanent 
  publication 
  very 
  great 
  indeed. 
  

  

  