MIDLAND COUNTIES GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 179 
of the globe; and which are^ in many respects, so beauti- 
fully developed in this immediate district. The establish- 
ment of your Society has removed a stigma vvhich hung 
over the denizens of your ancient Town, and offers the 
fullest contradiction to the oft repeated assertion that 
Science and Literary Associations have here no attractions. 
The numerous audiences which have attended the Meet- 
ings of your Society tend also to show that even one science 
is sufficient of itself to command attention ; this is a point 
of no slight importance; the concentrated efforts of your 
members, directed to one focus, being not only more 
likely to extend an acquaintance with the principles of 
Geology as at present known, but also to lead to nev/ disco- 
veries. 
In reviewing the proceedings of the last year, it must be 
borne in mind that few members of your Society possessed 
more than a superficial view of Geolog}\ Your Commit- 
tee deemed it, therefore, necessary to recommend a course 
of papers to be read, which would furnish the simple and 
undoubted details of the science, rather than to rush at 
once into more profound speculations; with this view the 
papers have been (with one or two exceptions) introduc- 
tory ones. Your Committee have to tender their warmest 
thanks to those members who so promptly accepted invi- 
tations to deliver the results of their studies and observa- 
tions ; and they have great pleasure in stating that arrange- 
ments have been made for a regTilar succession of papers 
for the year 1843. The paper for February will be from 
the pen of the lady who so obligingly favoured the Society 
with a Dissertation on the Fossil Flora, in December, 1842. 
Your Com^mittee considering that a selection of the charac- 
teristic fossils of the several strata would, materially assist 
the Lecturers, determined on purchasing a small Ctibinet ; 
