Vol. 6y.] ANNIVERSARY MEETING WOLLASTON MEDAL, xlv 



see him still maintaining his interest in current geological work at 

 the great age of 95, and that it is a satisfaction to us to add this 

 further proof of our appreciation of his labours. 



Will you, therefore, be so good as to transmit this Wollaston 

 Medal to Osmond Fisher as a recognition by the Council of the 

 lasting value of his ' researches concerning the mineral structure of 

 the Earth ' ? 



Sir Archibald Geikje, in reply, said : — ■ 



Mr. President, — 



No duty at once more honourable and agreeable could be entrusted 

 to a Fellow of this Society, than to act as a deputy for one of tho 

 most venerable and esteemed of our colleagues, and to receive on 

 his behalf the Wollaston Medal, which has been awarded to him 

 in recognition of the value and distinction of his contributions to 

 Geological Science. I have been favoured with a short statement 

 from Mr. Fisher, which I will read. 



'It is indeed a most gratifying surprise to 3ne that the Council of the 

 Geological Society should have considered me worthy of their highest honour, 

 the Wollaston Medal. At my great age (95) I shall not be able to attend 

 and to offer my grateful thanks in person. I think that the Council must have 

 formed a higher opinion of my merits than I have, but I must not quarrel 

 with that. I once had as a pupil a scion of the Wollaston family. He was 

 an entomologist, and wrote a learned work upon the insects of Madeira. He 

 described the insect-remains which I found in Lexden brick-pit. 



' I am thankful to say that I am still able to take an interest in our science. 

 I am engaged at present in a mathematical investigation of the effect of an 

 elevated plateau, like the Himalayan, when below the horizon of a station, in 

 increasing gravity there. It will have to be taken account of in drawing con- 

 clusions from observations on gravity in the plains of India. My friend 

 Davison is helping me with the arithmetic, in which I cannot trust myself. 

 Arithmetic was not taught at Eton when I was there. I am afraid that the 

 chief interest in my problem will be mathematical. In all problems of attrac- 

 tion hitherto the curvature of the earth's surface has been neglected. I have 

 taken account of it, I believe, for the first time.' 



In receiving this Medal for transmission to our revered Associate, 

 I should like to add an expression of my own indebtedness to the 

 illuminating suggestiveuess and clear presentation of his contribu- 

 tions to Physical Geology. It is astonishing and delightful to see 

 him, at his advanced age, still full of mental alertness and enthu- 

 siasm, busy as ever in the continuation of the long series of mathe- 

 matical investigations with which he has enriched geological 



