ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 5 I 



this Society in 1863, and in 1871 was elected a Foreign Member. 

 He was a Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium, 

 and was also a Chevalier of the order of Leopold. 



In 1874 the Council awarded him the balance of the proceeds of 

 the Wollaston Donation Fund for his admirable, extensive, and 

 original researches upon the Crag Mollusca of Belgium. His chief 

 work is the ' Description des Coquilles et des Polypiers f ossiles 

 des terrains tertiaires de la Belgique ' (4to, Brussels, 1843). Up 

 to the year 1873, JNTyst had written about thirty-six papers, mostly 

 upon recent and fossil conchology. His connexion with the national 

 museum at Brussels, and obliging manner, rendered him at all times 

 accessible to students or those desiring information upon Tertiary 

 palaeontology. Nyst died on April 6th, 1880, aged 67 years. 



On the Analysis and Distribution of the British Paleozoic 

 Fossils. 



The history of so progressive and practical a science as Geology, 

 and its kindred study Palaeontology, especially during the past 

 decade, not only in Britain, but in Europe, America, and our Colo- 

 nies, now needs some revision and analysis, arising from the 

 amount of research, and the progress that has been made in these 

 and collateral sciences during this period. 



The history of the Lower Palaeozoic rocks of the British Islands 

 is almost the history of Geology ; for it extends over forty years. 

 The same may be said of Scandinavia and Bohemia. And parallel 

 to these researches in Europe may be recorded the great progress 

 made in the western hemisphere ; for the history of the Lower 

 Palaeozoic or oldest rocks of N. America and Canada is but that of 

 Britain and Northern Europe almost repeated ; homotaxially they 

 are the same. 



The study through many years of the distribution of life through 

 the stratified rocks of the British Islands enables me to lay before 

 the Society some results arrived at by long and patient research. 

 I have, however, only taken advantage of my position on the 

 Geological Survey, which has afforded me facilities otherwise 

 almost impossible of access, and enabled me to carry on practically, 

 both in the field and the study, those branches of our science which 

 bear so intimately upon the progress of Physical Geology and Geo- 

 graphy, besides elucidating some of the laws that have governed 

 the distribution of life through time and space. 



De la Beche, Lyell, Edward Forbes, Hamilton, Phillips, Huxley, 

 Ramsay, Prestwich, and Duncan, in their learned addresses delivered 

 from this chair, have one and all dealt with questions bearing 



