OBITUARY NOTICES OF FELLOWS DECEASED. 



David Thomas Ansted was born in London on the 5th February, 1814, 

 and after education at a private school, entered the University of Cam- 

 bridge as a member of Jesus College. He was 32nd Wrangler in the 

 year 1836, and proceeded to the degree of M.A. in due course. About 

 four years afterwards he was elected to a fellowship on the Ley Foun- 

 dation in his College, which he retained for about eight years. In 

 1840 he was elected Professor of Geology at King's College, London, 

 which office he resigned in 1853. He was also for some time Lecturer 

 on Geology at Addiscombe, and Professor of Geology at the College of 

 Civil Engineers, Putney. From 1844 to 1847 he was Vice- Secretary 

 of the Geological Society, of which he became a Fellow in 1838. He 

 was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1844. 



By degrees his attention became diverted from the theoretic to the 

 practical aspect of his favourite study, and for the last thirty years 

 at least of his life he acted professionally as a consulting geologist 

 and mining engineer. For some time before his death he was in 

 failing health, and he expired on the 13th May, 1880, at his residence, 

 Melton, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. 



Professor Ansted, however, when systematic teaching ceased to be 

 a part of his regular duties, did not abandon his interest in geology as 

 an educational subject, but not unfrequently lectured and took part in 

 examinations on this and allied sciences. His pen also was rarely for 

 long idle. Besides some contributions to the " Quarterly journal of 

 the Geological Society," the " Transactions of the Cambridge Philo- 

 sophical Society," the " Annals and Magazine of Natural History," 

 and other like publications, he was whole or part author of a con- 

 siderable number of volumes ; the majority of these were of a some- 

 what popular character, and more than one obtained a considerable 

 share of success. He wrote lucidly and pleasantly whether upon 

 matters more directly scientific or upon the incidents of travel. 

 Among these works may be mentioned the following: — "Geological 

 Gossip," first published in 1860; "A Short Trip to Hungary and 

 Transylvania," in 1862 ; " The Ionian Islands," in the year 1863 ; 

 and " The Great Stone Book of Nature," published in the same year. 

 He also published a work on geology, in two volumes, in 1 844, and 

 more than one smaller book on this subject, physiography, or geography. 

 He was joint author (with Mr. R. G. Latham) of a work on " The 



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