PREFACE. 



As the snowball gathers weight and size in its rolling, so from the 

 first hour I took charge of The " Geologist" has it incessantly 

 gathered strength in rolling on, until now it stands, if my information 

 be correct, unrivalled in circulation by any British scientific periodicaL 

 I may be permitted some gratification in this result ; and this 

 feeling of pride is enhanced by the knowledge that of two previous 

 attempts by others, one failed to accomplish a seventh number, and 

 the other died at the third, although aided by liberal donations of 

 plates and absolate gifts of money. 



The unvaried success, continued uninterruptedly to the present 

 •hour, augurs well and, to me, hopefully for the future. I trust my 

 readers will support me by endeavouring to extend still more the 

 circulation of the magazine, and thus to supply the necessary 

 " sinews of war" for its further improvement and enlargement. 



My fire burns brightly in the grate ; the wind gently whistles at 

 my window ; the moon tips the ripples of the pond in my garden 

 with pearls of silvery light ; the air is just keen. By-and-bye the 

 bright coals will burn blue between the flaring flames of the Yule 

 log ; old Boreas will lustily howl his hurricane ; the pale moon will 

 wanly illuminate the smooth-surfaced ice : and skaters will blow 



