ANNIVEESART ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 55 



tendency towards bringing immature and controversial papers before 

 the Society is on the increase — I mean such papers as are avowedly 

 of the nature of " preliminary notes," or constitute only a single 

 phase of a long discussion. Now considering the wide circulation 

 and established position of our Journal, I venture to think that all 

 l)apers intended for insertion in it ought to be the result of carefully 

 matured effort, and that matters of fugitive interest might more 

 appropriately be communicated to periodicals which are issued at 

 much shorter intervals. If, in addition to this, the authors of 

 papers would recollect that in these days, when the mass of scientific 

 literature has become well nigh overwhelming, those memoirs have 

 the greatest chance of being read in which, by a judicious concentra- 

 tion, a compact arrangement, and a direct mode of expression, the 

 reader is aided in arriving at the results with as little expenditure 

 of time as possible, I believe our chief difficulties in regard to 

 publication would disappear. It will then be possible for this 

 Society to continue to maintain the position that it has long since 

 attained, and to represent the geologists of the whole of the British 

 Empire. 



Outside the sphere of activity of our Society there is no diminu- 

 tion in the eff'orts of those engaged in geological investigation 

 and exposition. Professor Prestwich signalizes his retirement from 

 the Chair of Geology at Oxford by the publication of a treatise 

 which enlarges his class by making all English- and French-reading 

 students his pupils. I am fortunately able to place before you a 

 copy of the second and concluding volume of the work of the doyen 

 of British Geologists, a work which is opportunely published this 

 very day. AYhile sympathizing with Oxford in what she loses by 

 Professor Prestwich's retirement, we cannot but reflect that her loss 

 is our gain ; for we hope to see him much oftener among us than has 

 been the case of late. 



From the Clarendon Press, which sends forth Professor Prestwich's 

 ' Geology,' there will also issue, in the course of the next few weeks, 

 the first volume of a work which has been long and anxiously 

 looked for by geologists — Mr. Etheridge's ' Fossils of the British 

 Islands, Stratigraphically arranged.' This first part, including the 

 whole of the Palaeozoic fossils, will form a quarto volume of more 

 than' 400 pages. 



During the present year the International Congress of Geologists 

 is to hold its fourth triennial meeting in this city. Opinions are 

 naturally divided as to the amount of agreement which can possibly 

 be effected as the result of its deliberations ; doubts may even be 



