WILLIAM SMITH : HIS MAPS AND MEMOIRS 
203 
Buckland gives us the information that " among his unpublished 
papers were found unfinished and in part printed, an introductory work 
on geology, and preparations for a volume on Economic Geology, both 
illustrating the originality of his views." 
MITCHELL, 1869. 
W. Stephen Mitchell contributed some notes on " The Centenary 
of William Smith's Birth " to the Geological Magazine for 1869, pp. 
356-9. He dealt with the question of the actual dates of some of Smith's 
discoveries, made from an examination of the papers of the Coal Canal 
Company, Bath. The author concluded " The connection of William 
Smith with Bath during the development of his geological ideas, is 
thus summarised : — The examination of the district between High 
Littleton and Bath first led him to suppose a regularity in the suc- 
cession of all the strata ; the planning of the Somersetshire Coal Canal 
near Bath, was the cause of the tour through England which enabled 
him to confirm his supposition : the difficulty in distinguishing ' the 
Oolitic rocks on and near the end of the canal towards Bath led him 
to the discovery of a mode of identifying the strata by the organized 
fossils respectively embedded therein.' 
" The ^rs^ collection of fossils stratigraphically arranged was made 
by him at Cottage Crescent, Bath. 
" The first table of the order of strata was drawn up by him at 
Pulteney Street, Bath. 
" The first geological map known is his map of the district of Bath. 
" The first geological map of England was coloured by him while 
living near Bath. 
" The first announcement of the publication of a geological map 
of England, was his ' prospectus ' dated from Midford, Bath. 
The first introduction of his discovery to public notice, was through 
the friends he made in Bath." 
This paper contains a note that in 1869, " the Committee have 
agreed to place a tablet on the walls of the [Royal] Institution in Bath 
to commemorate Smith's connection with that city."* 
* This was not carried out, but instead, a tablet was placed on 
the Mill where Smith lived ; as will be seen later. 
o 
