WORK AND PROGRESS OF THE SOCIETY. 
7 
that he had indulged in that retrospect simply because he happened 
to be absent from his duties as President of the Society for a certain 
period. He thought it very advantageous that a society of that 
kind should from time to time take stock of its work, that it should 
consider what it was that it had been doing in order that it might 
see in what direction it should advance in the future, and might be 
able to judge whether it was really performing the duties which 
not merely its members but the pubhc expect, and have a right to 
expect, from a society of that kind. After referring to the satisfac- 
tory financial position of the society he asked them to consider what 
were the claims which that society had upon its members, and upon 
the support and approval of the general public outside its own circle. 
The society was founded in 1837, and had therefore been in exist- 
ence nearly 50 years. Its original purpose was not precisely that 
which it now pursued, though it was strictly connected with it ; for 
he found that its original^purpose when founded was described to be 
" to assist coal proprietors and workers in collecting and recording 
geological and mechanical information with the accuracy and minute- 
ness necessary for the successful prosecution of mining." The 
objects then contemplated had, as they all knew, been largely 
superseded, since that time by the work of the Geological Survey, 
and that being the case, the society had assumed less of an indus- 
trial character specially connected with mining, and taken up more 
of a general scientific position. But he did not think that change 
was in any way to be regretted, because he was quite sure that 
there was ample work for the society in its present form. It now 
brought together from time to time geologists and others for the 
purpose of reading and discussing original papers, and it tended in 
tliat way, and by the investigation which it encouraged among its 
members, to the advancement of geological knowledge, and especially, 
of course, of a knowledge of the geology of their own county, and 
it encouraged the publication of papers, and it appeared to him that 
in doing that it was doing a very important work in the 
promotion of science in Yorkshire, and indeed not in Yorkshire 
only, but throughout the country, while it promoted habits of careful 
observation, which lay at the root of scientific progress. They 
