357 
industrial school for natives, wherein a knowledge of British manu- 
factures was taught, and which led the way to similar industrial in- 
stitutions for the other presidencies. His energy and abilities were 
appreciated by the Indian Government, notwithstanding that he was 
in frequent political opposition to it ; and when the superintendence 
of the government printing-press and government Gazette at Allaha- 
bad became vacant, Dr Buist was appointed to it by Lord Canning. 
Dr Buist died on a voyage to Calcutta, on the 1st day of October 
last. 
I wish I were capable of presenting to the Society anything like 
a really useful review of the progress of science during the year 
which is about to close. This I cannot pretend to do ; but perhaps 
I may be allowed to direct your attention to one or two subjects to 
which that progress has been important. 
To begin with our own country, and with an investigation the 
importance and interest of which has been acknowledged by the 
Society in the grant of the Brisbane medal, — I have reason to believe 
that Sir Roderick Murchison has been prosecuting with farther suc- 
cess his examination and reclassification of the more ancient rocks of 
Scotland. The clue afforded some years ago by the discovery of 
Mr Peach, that the limestones of Duirness in Sutherland contained 
fossils of the Lower Silurian age, has been followed up by our distin- 
guished countryman Sir Roderick, with his usual indefatigable per- 
severance, and his usual sagacity of interpretation. The result of 
his last researches goes far to extend the light already thrown on 
the rocks of Sutherland and Ross to the vast series of micaceous 
and quartzose strata which constitute the great bulk of the Western 
Highlands in the counties of Argyll and Inverness. And I think 
it a circumstance worthy of mention, that some years before the 
discovery of the Sutherland fossils, and before, therefore, any clue 
from organic remains had been afforded, Sir Roderick Murchison 
had suspected that the whole series of metamorphic slates in the 
district to which I refer were nothing more nor less than altered 
strata of Silurian age. He expressed that suspicion strongly to 
myself in 1850, when I had an opportunity of pointing out to him 
some of the more characteristic beds in the neighbourhood of Inver- 
aray. During this last summer and autumn, he has traced the 
upward series of rocks from what he calls the fundamental gneiss 
VOL. IV. 3 B 
