84 Proceedings of the Royal Society. 
“ 4. At Les Ouches, in the ravine under the Aiguille du Goute. 
“ B. Black slates of the Buet. 
“ W. Pure white fine-grained gypsum. 
“ A. Buet limestone (A of first section). 
“ W. Gypsum. 
“ C. Cargneule (C of first section). 
“ G. Gneiss. 
Monday , 1st March 1858. 
Professor KELLAND, Y.P., in the Chair. 
Professor Kelland, V.P., delivered the Keith Medal, 
awarded by the Council to Professor Boole of Cork ; on 
doing which he said : — 
The Council of the Royal Society, in the exercise of the power 
conferred on them, have awarded the Keith Medal to Professor 
Boole of Cork, for his Memoir “ On the Application of the Theory 
of Probabilities to the Question of the Combination of Judgments 
or Testimonies,” printed in the Society’s Transactions of last Session. 
In conferring this medal, in the name of the Council, it may 
reasonably be expected that I should say a few words on each of two 
different heads — first , the person on whom the medal is conferred ; 
secondly , the paper, which has appeared to the Council worthy of 
the award. And I admit that I ought not to decline to fulfil the 
expectation after some sort. I shall accordingly offer some remarks 
on these separate topics. 
1. Mr Boole is a stranger to us; in no way connected with Scot- 
land, further than as a similarity of pursuits connects one intellect 
with another. To Bishop Terrot alone amongst us, who is labour- 
ing successfully in the same department of science with himself, is 
he, so far as I am aware, personally known. I will therefore en- 
deavour to sketch Mr Boole’s past history, that you may have the 
