PEOCEEDIXGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



AWAED OF THE "WoLLASTOlST MeDAL. 



In handing the Wollaston Medal, awarded to Baron Ferdik-and 

 VON Eichthoeek, to Mr. W. Toplet, P.R.S., for transmission to the 

 recipient, the President addressed him as follows : — 



Mr. Toplet, — 



To Baron Ferdinand von Kichthofen the Conncil of the Geological 

 Society has awarded this year the Wollaston Medal in recognition 

 of the great merit of the researches carried on by him over a large 

 part of the Old World and of the IS^ew. From the ontset of his 

 career he has been distinguished by a rare combination of the power 

 of minute patient observation, with the faculty of broad, aud often 

 brilliant, generalization. It is this union of mental gifts which has 

 placed him high among the leaders of science of his time, and which 

 gives such a charm and value to his writings. 



Beginning his early investigations among the eruptive rocks of 

 his native country, he was gradually led to undertake a detailed in- 

 vestigation of the geology of that interesting region in the South 

 Tyrol around Predazzo and St. Cassian. The elaborate monograph 

 of this tract which he published in 1860 was a remarkable achieve- 

 ment for so young a man, and gave ample promise of his future 

 distinction. Soon after its publication he had the good fortune to 

 be attached to a naval expedition sent out to the East by the 

 Prussian Government to arrange commercial treaties with China, 

 Japan, and Siam. He was thus afforded opportunities of turning to 

 account his power of rapid observation, of enlarging his geological 

 experience, and of meditating upon those problems to the solution of 

 which he might devote his life. We are all familiar with the bril- 

 liant series of papers and works which has followed from the labours 

 of the twelve years spent by him abroad. 



Crossing the Pacific he came in contact with Professor J. D. 

 Whitney, who was then conducting the Geological Survey of Cali- 

 fornia. The young and eager German was induced to settle for a 

 time on the Pacific border of the American Continent, where he de- 

 voted himself to the study of the marvellous volcanic phenomena 

 of that region. Among the contributions made by him to the 

 geology of the United States his remarkable generalizations as to the 

 order of succession of the volcanic rocks and the nature of ' massive 

 eruptions ' have attracted special attention. 



What he had seen of China had convinced him that an investigation 



