lxviii PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETT. [Ma J I907, 



illness he died on the 16th of last July a t his residence, Thornton 

 Heath (Surrey). 



In that numerous and active band of observers to whom geology 

 owes so much, who devote their leisure to the collection of the 

 fossils of their own districts, and who place their specimens and 

 their observations at the service of all who can put them to good 

 use, there has for half a century been no one more widely known 

 and respected than John Ward, of Longton (Staffordshire), whose 

 death took place on the 30th of Xovember, 1906, in the 69th year 

 of his age. With untiring zeal and conspicuous success he spent 

 the scanty spare hours of a busy life in the study of the Xorth 

 Staffordshire Coalfield, more especially with a view to the determi- 

 nation of the distribution of its organic remains. He early saw 

 the importance of ascertaining the exact horizons of the fossils 

 dispersed through the strata. More than forty years ago he 

 detected the occurrence of marine organisms in the Coal-Measures 

 of his district. In the course of years he accumulated a fine series 

 of the fossil-fishes of these strata, which were submitted to and 

 described by the most accomplished palaeontologists of the day, and 

 the chief part of which is now among the riches of the British 

 Museum. His collection of the Carboniferous mollusca and plants 

 has likewise supplied important fresh material for the increase of our 

 knowledge of the fauna and flora of the Coal-Measures. Although 

 he was so diligent a collector and knew so well the geological 

 interest and significance of his specimens, he published only a small 

 part of his knowledge in the form of notes, letters, and papers. 

 But his stores of information were ever placed at the disposal of 

 all interested in the subject. His name will be perpetuated in the 

 designation of many fossils which he discovered. He joined our 

 Society in the year 1874 ; and in 1899 he received a moiety of the 

 Lyell Fund, in recognition of the value of his prolonged devotion to 

 geological research. 



Thomas Leighiox was born in 1858, and, after completing his 

 education at Stuttgart, he entered under his father the bookbinding 

 firm of Leighton, Son, & Hodge, which had been established as far 

 back as 1767. He became a partner in 1889, and in 1898, when 

 his brother quitted the business, he practically took over the entire 

 management. His knowledge of the trade was recognized by his 

 being elected Chairman of the Bookbinding section of the London 



