GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF DUDLEY, 



61 



entering into an elaborate and interesting description of the peculiarities 

 belonging to the coal fields of Britain, as compared with those of Russia, 

 and different parts of Europe, exhibiting throughout a beautiful har- 

 mony with the principles of geological science, Mr. Murchison pro- 

 ceeded to remark that he had been induced to advert to these facts, 

 which were probably known to most present, by the circumstance, that 

 even recently, attempts had been made in their own district to pierce 

 through Silurian rocks in search of coal ; and hence the necessity of 

 some indisputable evidence of the age of rocks, which geologists held 

 out as beacons against improvident and foolish speculations. He then 

 passed on to notice the beautiful fossil remains with which their district 

 abounded, and of which the collections in their museum afforded abun- 

 dant evidence. But what, after all, was the British Association, and 

 what was their own society, but scientific emblems of the whole frame- 

 work of their social condition ? Every Englishman who had been a tra- 

 veller in distant climes must, he thought, return to his own land im- 

 pressed with the conviction, that in the virtue and intelligence of her 

 proprietors and middling classes England contained the true elements of 

 her greatness ; and looking around him, and judging from the experience 

 of the past, he was convinced that so long as good and patriotic leaders 

 were found mingling with the many, and urging on their improvement, 

 so long would their island, confiding in her own moral strength, stand 

 up as the chosen citadel of well-balanced liberty and intellectual attain- 

 ment. 



At the close of the address, which was warmly applauded, 

 H. Best, Esq. moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Murchison. 



The noble Chairman, in submitting the proposition to the meet- 

 ing, congratulated the town of Dudley upon the establishment of an in- 

 stitution hke the present. He could only say with Mr. Murchison, as 

 an excuse for not having commenced their society sooner, that this did 

 not arise from any indifference to the importance of the subject of geolo- 

 gical investigation, as was shown by the many private collections which 

 had now been thrown into one, but solely from the want of a spirit of 

 vitality to concentrate and direct their pursuits. 



A vote of thanks to Lord Ward having been proposed by 

 Joshua Scholefield, M.P., and carried unanimously, the 

 meeting separated. 



