Yol.  49. j 
ANNIVERSARY  MEETING - MURCHISON  FUND. 
39 
The  Eev.  Osmond  Pisher,  in  reply,  said : — 
Mr.  President, — 
I  regard  the  award  of  this  Medal  to  me  as  to  some  extent  a  token 
that  my  efforts  to  find  a  modus  vivendi  between  geologists  and 
physicists  have  been  appreciated  by  the  Geological  Society.  I  regret 
to  say  that  the  leading  physicists,  at  least  in  this  country,  make  no 
sign  at  present  either  of  accepting  or  of  rejecting  my  conclusions ; 
but  the  important  questions  at  issue  seem  on  the  point  of  receiving 
recognition  from  American  mathematicians. 
It  is  with  peculiar  pleasure  that  I  shall  treasure  the  Murchison 
Medal.  I  had  the  honour  many  years  ago  of  a  slight  acquaintance 
with  the  distinguished  Pounder  of  this  endowment,  and  I  recollect 
still  how,  at  the  reading  of  the  first  paper  which  I  offered  to  this 
Society,  Sir  Eoderick  expressed  approbation  of  my  views,  which 
were  somewhat  opposed  to  the  strictly  uniformitarian  theories  then 
chiefly  in  vogue.  Words  of  encouragement  falling  from  so  great  a 
man  could  not  fail  to  be  valuable  to  an  amateur  at  his  first  venture 
before  a  learned  Society ;  and  that  the  same  Society  should  after 
many  years  endorse  in  so  appropriate  a  manner  the  favourable 
opinion  -which  he  expressed  of  my  early  effort  affords  me  the  greatest 
satisfaction. 
Award  oe  the  Murchison  Geological  Pund. 
The  President  then  handed  the  Balance  of  the  Proceeds  of  the 
Murchison  Geological  Pund  to  Mr.  G.  J.  Williams,  P.G.S.,  addressing 
him  as  follows  : — 
Mr.  Williams, — 
The  Balance  of  the  Proceeds  of  the  Murchison  Geological  Pund 
has  been  awarded  to  you  by  the  Council  in  token  of  appreciation  of 
your  active  researches  amongst  the  Cambrian  and  Ordovician  rocks 
of  Pfestiniog  and  Harlech.  You  have  done  good  petrological  and 
palaeontological  work,  both  in  the  selection  of  rocks  for  thin  sections 
and  in  amassing  a  fine  series  of  fossils.  The  exhibition  of  a  portion 
of  your  collection  at  Chester,  on  the  occasion  of  the  International 
Congress  Excursion  in  1888,  proved  to  be  of  great  interest.  The 
Council  hope  that  this  Award  may  be  fruitful,  in  inducing  you  to 
persevere  on-  the  lines  which  you  have  already  adopted  with  so  much 
success. 
