In Memoriam — Sir John Evans. 



243 



is a truly wonderful production, and can safely be said to treat 

 more thoroughly and more systematically than does any other 

 work on the subject, in any language. 



Geology had a great attraction for him, and in turn he had 

 been the Hon. Secretary, President, and Foreign Secretary of 

 the Geological Society. But it was in the domain of pre- 

 historic antiquities that his chief interest rested, and he col- 

 lected an unrivalled series of valuable relics of British, Roman, 

 Saxon, and later periods. Less than two years ago he attended 

 the York meeting of the British Association, and took an active 

 part in the work of section H. He was greatly interested 

 in a find of some British coins, which was reported at the meet- 

 ing, and made a special journey to Hull to examine the speci- 

 mens in the museum there. 



His worth was recognised by all the important societies at 

 home and abroad. He has occupied the presidential chairs 

 of the Numismatic Society, the Society of Antiquaries, the 

 Geological Society, the British Association (also of the Ethno- 

 logical, Geological and Anthropological sections of the Asso- 

 ciation), and the Anthropological Institute. He was also 

 Vice-President of the Royal Society, and in 1884 delivered the 

 anniversary address in the absence of Professor Huxley. Since 

 1885 he was a Trustee of the British Museum. He was also an 

 honorary member of various societies in France, Belgium, Italy, 

 and other European countries, and was similarly appreciated 

 by important societies in America. In addition to the various 

 offices he held in the scientific world, he took an active part in 

 civil affairs, and was successively Deputy Lieutenant, Sheriff, 

 and Chairman of the County Council for Hertfordshire, and 

 also held several other offices in the shire. He took an active 

 part in business, becoming a partner in the well-known firm of 

 paper makers at Hemel Hampstead so long ago as 185 1. 



In an appreciative notice of Sir John Evans, in one of the 

 * Eminent Living Geologists ' Series, so recently as January 

 last, the writer says : — 



' Most valuable among Sir John's many services to science has 

 been his endeavour to tide over the gap between the Pre- 

 historic and Historic periods of mankind, and to emphasize 

 the importance of the Quaternary period in geology. He has 

 also established for us a correct chronological succession of 

 periods of time represented by the various discoveries of the 

 implements and objects made by prehistoric man, which clearly 



1908 July I. 



