493 
of Edinburgh, Session 1868 - 69 . 
are those prepared by the Ordnance Survey. Hence as these maps 
must be obtained before geological surveying can go on, the pro- 
gress of the Geological is necessarily in a great measure dependent 
upon that of the Ordnance Survey. Owing to the want of the 
Ordnance maps, it was not possible to extend the Geological Sur- 
vey to Scotland until the year 1854, when a beginning was made 
by Professor Ramsay. Only two geologists could be spared for the 
Scottish survey, and this continued for several years to be the 
whole of the staff employed in this part of the United Kingdom, the 
backward state of the Ordnance Survey rendering any considerable 
increase of the geological surveyors impossible. At last, a more 
liberal Parliamentary grant enabled the Director of the Ordnance 
Survey to proceed much more rapidly with the publication of the 
Ordnance maps. It therefore became desirable to expedite at the 
same time the progress of the Geological Survey, and the late 
Government, after a full consideration of the subject, towards the 
close of the year 1866 resolved to reconstruct the staff of the 
Geological Survey, and largely to increase its numbers. Hitherto 
the establishment had consisted of two branches — one for Great 
Britain, with head-quarters in London, and one for Ireland, with 
head-quarters in Dublin. It was now determined that there should 
be three branches, each under a separate resident director, and 
with an adequate staff — one for England and Wales, under Pro- 
fessor A. C. Ramsay; one for Ireland, under Mr Jukes; and one 
for Scotland, under my own charge ; the three branches still re- 
maining under the control of the Director-General, Sir R. I. Mur- 
chison. With this great increase of strength, the Geological Sur- 
vey of Scotland is now making rapid progress ; and as the Ordnance 
maps of the whole of the southern half of Scotland are published, 
no hindrance is anticipated in the completion of the geological 
investigation of that part of the country. 
On a former occasion,* I had an opportunity of laying before 
the Society a narrative of the progress of the Survey during the 
first ten years of its existence. I pointed out that, commencing 
in East Lothian, it gradually crept westward to the borders of 
Stirlingshire, and southwards to those of Dumfries, Roxburgh, and 
* Address given at the request of the Council on 6th February 1865. See 
Proceedings, vol. v. p. 355. 
