Ixxii PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May I909, 



elected a Fellow of the Koyal Society in 1879, and a Fellow of 

 King's College in 1905. He was Honorary Member of several 

 Foreign societies, among them the Academy of Science in Phila- 

 delphia, the Imperial Society of Naturalists in Moscow, and the 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. 



In 1872 Prof. Seeley married Eleanor Jane, second daughter 

 of William Mitchell, St. George's Lodge, Bath. He died, after 

 much suffering, at his residence, 2 Holland-Park-Court, W., on 

 January 8th, 1909. 



Seeley was a man of marked individuality, very independent in 

 opinion and original in thought. In his later years an increasing 

 deafness deprived him of the full enjoyment of conversation; but 

 those who remember him in his earlier days will retain a vivid 

 impression of a warm-hearted comrade, a lively raconteur, ready 

 with quip and jest, yet much in earnest and profoundly occupied by 

 the deeper problems of human existence. 



Alfred "William Howitt, C.M.G., Sc.D. (1830-1908) \— Alfred 

 William Howitt was born in 1830 ; his parents were William and 

 Mary Howitt, who jointly and severally made numerous con- 

 tributions to the poetry and prose of the last century. Some of 

 their poems at one time bid fair to retain a permanent place in 

 our literature. He was educated partly in Germany and partly 

 at University College, London. He married Maria, daughter of 

 Mr. Justice Boothby, of the Supreme Court of South Australia. 



Dr. Howitt added considerably to our knowledge of the native 

 tribes of Australia, his most important works being : ' Kamilaroi 

 & Kurnai ' and ' The Native Tribes of South-East Australia ' ; 

 he also contributed papers to the Transactions of the Boyal Society 

 of Victoria and the Proceedings of the Australasian Association for 

 the Advancement of Science. In 1876 he communicated to our 

 Society a paper on the Devonian Pocks of North Gippsland. When 

 Burke and Wills failed to return from their disastrous expedition, 

 Howitt was appointed leader of the party sent from Victoria in 

 search of them. 



Dr. Howitt held several important offices in Victoria, and 

 discharged their duties with distinguished success. A ready 

 perception and sound judgement made him an admirable man of 



1 In the preparation of this obituary I hare obtained valuable information 

 from Prof. A. Liversidge, F.E.S. 



