—?4 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



you to convey to Mr. Kidston, with this Award, the hope of the 

 Council that it may be of some assistance to him in enabling him 

 to prosecute his researches. 



Dr. Woodward, in reply, said : — 



Mr. President, — 



It is with much pleasure that I am permitted to act as Mr. Kid- 

 ston's representative here this day, and to receive for him, at your 

 hands, the award of the Murchison Donation Fund. I am sure 

 Mr. Kidston would, had it been possible, have been present in person 

 to receive the award. He writes as follows : — ■ 



" I desire to express my thanks to the President and Council of 

 the Geological Society for the honour they have conferred upon me 

 in acknowledging my labours in Possil Botany, an honour which I 

 beg to assure them I fully appreciate ; it is one which will act as a 

 stimulus in my future investigations in Vegetable Palaeontology. 

 My aim has always been most carefully to work out our palaeozoic 

 flora, and in this spirit I hope to continue my labours, trusting that 

 the results may be of use to others." 



Award oe the Lyell Medal. 



The President then handed the Lyell Medal to Prof. T. G. 

 Bonney, D.Sc, P.P.S., for transmission to Mr. Samuel Allport, 

 P.G.S., and addressed him as follows : — 



Prof. Bonney, — 



It is to me an especially gratifying circumstance that it falls to 

 my lot to deliver into your hands for transmission to Mr. Allport 

 the Lyell Medal for the present year. Mr. Allport commenced the 

 microscopical study of rocks at a time when the workers in that 

 department of science were comparatively few, and when the road 

 he had to travel was encumbered with difficulties and stumbling- 

 blocks which have now been, to a large extent, removed by the 

 labours of many earnest and patient workers. It was at that time 

 my good fortune to know him, and to have frequent opportunities 

 of admiring the perseverance and energy with which he carried on 

 his researches. You have yourself from this Chair paid a warm 

 and well-merited tribute to the generosity with which, at that time, 

 he was always ready to assist his fellow-workers. The establish- 

 ment of one very important principle will always be associated with 

 Mr. Allport 's labours, namely, that the apparent differences between 

 the igneous rocks of widely different geological periods are, to a 

 great extent, due to the changes which the constituent minerals of 

 the older rock-masses have undergone since their original formation. 



