﻿xliv PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May 1905, 



by work in the study and the museum, and by explorations carried 

 out in many lands, exposed at times to the scorching sun of Africa, 

 at others to the icy blast of Arctic climes. 



Worthy indeed are you to receive this Medal, which, in the terms 

 of the Bequest, is to be awarded ' as an acknowledgment of eminent 

 services in any department of Geology,' for we acknowledge your 

 services in all departments of that science. 



Prof. Gregory replied as follows : — 

 Mr. President, — 



It is impossible adequately to express my thanks to the Council 

 for the honour of this Award, and to you, Sir, for the very kind words 

 with which you have presented it. My only regret in connection 

 with this Medal is that, owing to your many years of devoted 

 service to the Society as its Secretary, your name does not appear 

 on the roll of my predecessors. 



The list of my contributions to geological literature includes a 

 somewhat wide range of subjects, to which you have referred very 

 kindly, although they may appear sadly disconnected. Of course, 

 every geologist, who is not master of his own time, must devote 

 most of his energies to work not of his own selecting. He must do 

 what he should, and not what he would. I owe it to the sym- 

 pathetic consideration with which the senior officials of the British 

 Museum treat their assistants, that much of my work, when I was on 

 its staff, had as close a bearing as it had, upon the problems in which 

 I have been most deeply interested. My attention was first directed 

 to geology, in order to understand the geography of the districts 

 through which I rambled, and the, often, apparently-erratic course 

 of the rivers. The bent that led me into geology, in order to under- 

 stand local topography, subsequently roused my especial interest in 

 the existing plan of the Earth. That interest has caused me to 

 spend so much of my vacations collecting evidence in the ' back- 

 blocks ' of the Earth, that I have not yet had sufficient opportunity 

 to work out the results. This Award will justify an attempt to 

 secure more time for this work. One of the favourite proverbs of one 

 of my old Zanzibar porters was ' whither good things go, thence good 

 things should return/ The words of Bigsby's will show that this 

 maxim inspired his bequest : and I am bound to make as good a 

 return to our Science as I can for this valued Medal, and for the 

 good wishes and cheering confidence which it betokens. 



