34 1 
GEOLOGY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
A. CHARLESWORTH, M.SC. 
Section ‘C ’ may congratulate itself on a most successful 
meeting. It was fortunate in its President, in the character 
of the papers read, in the smoothness with which the excursions 
ran, and in the weather. Professor Kendall was at his very 
best, not only in his presidential address and in his presenta- 
tion of the geological history of the North Sea Basin, but in 
his suggestive remarks on other papers. His control of the 
meetings was characterised by geniality and firmness, with 
the result that the scheduled times were always kept. All the 
meetings were well attended, and the papers much appreciated. 
We were fortunate in Section * C ’ in having lecturers who, 
whilst being strictly scientific, presented their subject matter 
in such a way that people with a reasonable knowledge of 
geology could follow them. Facts and figures were not 
hurled at the audience with bewildering rapidity, but were 
discreetly ‘ doled out/ so that the listener could carry away 
in his mind the outstanding features of the papers. The 
speakers were all audible, and it is really imperative that men 
of scientific eminence who give public and popular lectures 
should bear this in mind, as popularisation of science should go 
hand in hand with the advancement of science. That popular 
lectures are appreciated was shown by the crowded audiences in 
the City Hall and the Royal Institution, and this phase of the 
British Association’s activities was thoroughly justified. 
Turning to Section ‘ C,’ the outstanding features, were, 
first, the Presidential Address on the ‘Physiography of the 
Coal Swamps ’ ; second, the ‘ Geological History of the 
North Sea Basin ’ ; third, the ‘ Discussion on the Wegener 
Hypothesis of Continental Drift’ ; fourth, the ‘Joint Dis- 
cussion with the Anthropological and Geographical sections 
on the ‘ Relation of Early Man to the phases of the Ice Age in 
Britain. ’ 
In his work on the Coal Swamps, Professor Kendall has 
attempted to do for the coal measures what he has done for 
the glacial period — that is to try to reproduce the physical 
features obtaining at the time or times when coal formation 
was in progress, just as he has vividly brought before us the 
realities of the former presence of ice sheets and glaciers in 
this part of the world. 
The wealth of detail gathered from workers all over the 
world, combined with his own vast experience made this 
-address an epoch-making one in the study of coal measure 
geology. It was not a mere statement of bald facts, but was 
illuminated by scientific vision. The leading features of the 
1922 Nov. 1 
