142  PKOCEEDINGS  OE  THE  GEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY.  [May  1 893, 
In  considering  Tertiary  Geology  at  home,  I  have  only  ventured  to 
select  one  paper  for  special  notice,  while  fully  admitting  the 
importance  of  many  of  the  others,  and  particularly  that  by  Prof. 
Prestwich  on  the  Correlation  of  the  Eocene  strata  in  England  and 
portions  of  the  Continent.  Deep-sea  deposits,  which  have  been  con¬ 
sidered  in  connexion  with  Tertiary  Geology,  are  of  especial  interest 
to  us  islanders,  and  the  excellent  paper  on  deposits  of  this  nature 
in  Barbados  has  provided  us  with  an  excuse  for  renewing  our  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  the  recent  oceanic  oozes  which  attracted  so  much 
attention  shortly  after  the  return  of  the  4  Challenger.’  In  Cretaceous 
Geology  considerable  progress  has  been  made  during  the  last  seven 
years.  The  basal  beds  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous  have  proved  of 
especial  interest,  while  the  geology  and  palaeontology  of  the  Lower 
Cretaceous  in  the  North-east  ol  England  have  undergone  a  consider¬ 
able  revolution.  Jurassic  Geology  has  not  presented  us  with 
changes  of  similar  importance,  although  our  knowledge  of  the  upper 
beds  of  that  system  has  been  materially  increased,  while  the  border¬ 
lands  of  the  Lias  and  Oolite,  like  border-lands  in  general,  afford  a 
battle-ground  between  the  palaeontological  and  the  lithological 
stratigraphist.  The  uncertainty  as  to  whether  the  breccias  west 
of  the  Exe  should  be  classed  under  the  Permian  or  the  Trias 
raises  another  question  of  considerable  interest. 
One  word  of  apology  is  due  to  the  authors  whose  works  have 
contributed  to  maintain  the  high  standard  of  our  Quarterly  Journal. 
Very  soon  after  I  began  to  grapple  with  the  recent  work  of  the 
Geological  Society,  it  became  evident  that  the  task  of  paying  equal 
attention  to  all  within  a  limited  space  was  impossible.  Already  this 
Address  has  far  exceeded  the  bounds  originally  contemplated,  and 
yet  many  excellent  papers  have  received  but  scant  notice.  What 
with  the  risks  of  omission,  of  misinterpretation,  and  of  erroneous 
criticism,  the  position  of  a  President,  who  ventures  to  review  the 
work  of  the  Society  over  which  he  has  been  called  upon  to  preside, 
is  not  altogether  unlike  that  of  a  man  who  tries  to  lift  up  a  bee¬ 
hive.  However,  I  trust  that  authors  will  in  all  cases  place  the 
most  favourable  interpretation  upon  my  remarks,  and  that  my  sins, 
both  of  omission  and  commission,  may  be  speedily  condoned.  If  such 
should  be  the  case,  I  shall  enter  upon  the  remainder,  and  possibly 
more  difficult  part,  of  this  task  with  fewer  misgivings  as  to  the 
ultimate  result. 
