106 Geological Survey of Great Britain. 



mislaid niy reference, so that I can only vaguely indicate 

 the fact. 



Geological Survey of Great Britain. 



The extension of the Geological Survey of Great Britain to 

 Scotland has for some time been anxiously looked forward 

 to by many persons interested in the subject, whether in a 

 scientific or purely practical point of view. We have now the 

 satisfaction of stating that arrangements have been made for 

 commencing the execution of this work, which has long been 

 in contemplation. 



In the year 1845, the geological survey of the United 

 Kingdom was remodelled under Sir Henry De la Beche as 

 Director-General, and, since that date, the Irish branch of the 

 survey has been carried on, first by Captain James, as local 

 director, then by Professor Oldham, and, since the appoint- 

 ment of the latter to the geological survey of India, by Mr 

 Jukes. During the same period, the local directorship of the 

 Geological Survey of Great Britain has been entrusted to Pro- 

 fessor Ramsay. 



Before that time, a large area had been completed by Sir 

 Henry de la Beche and his staff as then constituted. The 

 survey originally commenced in Devon and Cornwall, and it 

 is worthy of record that the greater proportion of the work in 

 these counties was executed almost by the unassisted efforts 

 of that distinguished geologist. Since then, nearly a half of 

 England and Wales has been geologically mapped, principally 

 in the southern, western, and midland counties, and the sur- 

 vey is now rapidly progressing to the east and north. 



The extension of the work to Scotland has never been lost 

 sight of, but it was not till the ordnance survey had made 

 considerable progress, that it was practicable to commence 

 the geological survey there. Several counties have lately 

 been topographically surveyed and published on a scale of six 

 inches to a mile. This great work is rapidly advancing, and 

 on its steady prosecution over contiguous areas, the progress 

 of the geological survey will in a great measure depend ; for 

 practical geologists well know that it is generally impossible 

 to carry on large geological investigations with effect with 



