Vol. 56.] ANNUAL REPORT. xi 



the legacy now falls due, but an intimation has been received 

 from the executors that, in common with the other legacies, that 

 to the Society will have to be, to some extent, abated, and, more- 

 over, will have to bear its own legacy-duty. 1 The Fellows will 

 learn with interest precisely in what terms Sir Joseph Prestwich 

 expressed himself regarding this generous bequest. The following 

 is a certified extract from his will : — 



' (1) The sum of Eight Hundred Pounds to the Geological Society of London 

 ' Upon Trust to invest the same in any of the Government securities and to apply 

 ' the accumulated Annual Proceeds thereof at the end of every Three Years in 

 ' providing a Gold Medal of the value of Twenty Pounds which with a purse 

 1 containing the remainder of the said accumulated proceeds is to be awarded at the 

 ' end of every Three Years to the person or persons either male or female and 

 ' either resident in England or abroad who shall in the opinion of the said Society 

 ' have done well for the Advancement of the Science of Geology or it shall be lawful 

 ' for the said Society if in their opinion it shall be expedient so to do from time to 

 ' time to accumulate the said Annual Proceeds for a period not exceeding Six Years 

 ' and apply the said accumulated Annual Proceeds to some object of special research 

 ' bearing on Stratigraphical or Physical Geology to be cai'ried out by one single 

 ' individual or by a Committee or failing these objects the said Society may accumulate 

 ' the said Annual Proceeds for either Three or Six Years as the Council may decide 

 ' and devote such proceeds to such special purposes as the Society may decide.' 



The Third Volume of Hutton's ' Theory of the Earth,' printed 

 from a previously unpublished manuscript in the possession of the 

 Society, was issued in May last. The Council are of opinion that 

 the Fellows owe a deep debt of gratitude to Sir Archibald Geikie 

 for the minute and reverent care with which he has edited and 

 annotated this long-neglected Volume. Moreover, he has supple- 

 mented it by an invaluable Index to the whole of the Three Volumes 

 of Hutton's classic work. In accordance with the Estimate sub- 

 mitted last year, 500 copies were printed, and of these about 150 

 have been sold. 



The Council have pleasure in announcing the completion of 

 Vol. LV of the Society's Quarterly Journal, and the commence- 

 ment of Vol. LVI. It will be seen that the expenditure upon the 

 Journal exceeded the estimate by .£146 7s. l\d. The Volume for 

 1899, however, considerably exceeded those published recently 

 in the number both of pages and of illustrations, and the Council 

 feel assured that the Fellows will concur in the opinion that the 

 great scientific value of the many important papers which Vol. LV 

 contains amply justifies the expaniiture incurred in connexion with 

 them. 



In view of the report of the Catalogue Committee appointed by 

 the Council, it has been decided to discontinue for the present the 

 issue of Index-Slips with the Quarterly Journal. 



The Record of Geological Literature issued by the Society appears 

 to give continued satisfaction, and after careful study of possible 

 alterations in its mode of issue, the Catalogue Committee, to whom 

 the question was referred, have recommended that no change be 



[ l Since the Annual Meeting, the sum of £617 14s. 3d. has boen paid to the 

 Society by the executors.] 



