CXXViil _ ANNIVERSARY MEETING. 
Foreign Collection. 
This collection, which is rich in valuable objects, occupies almost 
the whole of the upper Museum, and there are detached portions of 
it dispersed about in other parts of the building, as will be noticed 
hereafter. 
The observations which have been offered on the British Collection 
apply in great measure to the foreign ; the Committee recommend in 
both the separation of the fossiliferous specimens and the unfossili- 
ferous ; in both they would wish to see the number of the former in- 
creased ; of the latter, reduced. An extension of the fossil remains 
in the Foreign Collection is more especially desirable, because provision 
has been made in many provincial institutions, and is now making in 
the Museum of Economic Geology, for the reception and study of 
English organic remains, while those of foreign countries, the study 
of which is equally essential to a sound geological education, has 
hitherto received but very little attention. . 
A systematic collection of rocks was first resolved upon in June 
1813, having been suggested by Sir Humphry Davy at a much earlier 
period. At the first starting of the Society he drew up a scheme for 
its arrangement, which accidentally turned up among a large quantity 
of papers recently removed from the crypts. About that period 
Dr. Babington presented to the Society a series of specimens from the 
Harz mountains, with a catalogue drawn up by Lasius; and another 
series was soon afterwards presented by Mr. Heulaud, made under 
the direction of Werner, and illustrative of his system of nomenclature. 
Another collection of the same kind was afterwards given by Dr. Mac- 
culloch, in illustration of the geological constitution of Scotland, but 
there was no locality affixed to the specimens, nor were they cata- 
logued. These specimens occupied at the time not less than ninety- 
one drawers: they were employed afterwards to form the basis of the 
series of Scotch rocks now incorporated with the English. 
Your Committee cannot flatter themselves with the hope that the 
study of minute oryctognostical distinctions can ever be made of much 
use to geology ; the accidental varieties of rocks are too numerous for 
registration or nomenclature ; but there are broad distinctions at least 
which cannot be overlooked, and ought not to be confounded. Nature 
furnishes a considerable number of rocks which have a distinct cha- 
racter, and which, from the extent of their range, the frequency of 
their occurrence, the peculiarity of their aspects, the uses to which 
they are applicable, and other circumstances, have obtained distinct 
names; the number of such names is greater than would perhaps be 
at first surmised. On a rough calculation they may amount to three 
hundred. A list of these has been published by Boué in the first 
volume of his ‘Guide du Géologue Voyageur,’ and not being at the 
time aware of this circumstance, your Committee drew up a similar 
list, which will be found in the Appendix to this Report. In antici- 
pation of what will be said hereafter in regard to duplicates and un- 
appropriated specimens, your Committee beg leave to suggest that a 
