62 
CONGRES GEOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONAL. 
Mar., 1890. 
you were at tlie foot of the Tower of Babel. The diplomatic 
French was drowned in discordant sounds. Dr. Lapwortli 
vainly tackling a Russian, appealed to me for help, and 
found I was worse off than himself. 
Thus the work of the morning was relieved by the 
recreation of the afternoon and evening ; and, so far as the 
exigencies of various languages permitted, the discussions of 
the meetings were continued in friendly talk. 
I might here, perhaps, say a word or two about the 
excursions during the week following the meetings in London, 
although I was personally unable to attend any of them. An 
elaborate description of the localities to be visited, with 
numerous maps, sections, and plates, had been prepared 
under the editorship of Mr. W. Topley. This volume of two 
hundred pages forms a valuable document for English geo¬ 
logists ; as, in addition to maps and sections, it contains full 
references to the Bibliography of the several districts. The 
proposed excursions were six in number:— 
1. —Isle of Wight ; under the direction of Messrs. 
Whitaker, Gardner, A. Stralian, and H. Keeping. 
2. —North Wales ; with Dr. Hicks, Professor Blake, and 
Mr. G. H. Morton as leaders. 
3. —East Yorkshire ; Messrs. J. W. Woodall, Fox Strang¬ 
way s, and G. H. Lamplugh. 
4. —Norfolk and Suffolk ; Messrs. F. W. Harmer, Clement 
Reid, and Dr. J. E. Taylor. 
5. —West Yorkshire ; under Messrs. J. E. Man* and R. H. 
Tiddeman. 
6. —Central England; Professor Green and Mr. H. B. 
Woodward directing. 
Such was the programme ; but, as I could not attend any, 
I do not know how it was carried out. 
III.—I come now to the Geological Exhibition, which was 
worthy of the meeting. 
Dr. Lapwortli, Dr. Geikie, Professor Blake, M. Torell (of 
Stockholm), and others exhibited a series of maps, charts, and 
sections. To myself the most interesting exhibits were as 
follows :— 
A fine collection of Swiss rocks and fossils, by Professor 
Heim, in illustration of his views on the crystalline schists. 
Dr. H. J. Johnston-Lavis, who has been living at Naples 
and studying Vesuvius, exhibited the results of his work. 
Professor Prestwich, Dr. J. Evans, and Mr. Spurrell 
showed fine collections of flint implements and other things, 
illustrating the Erith and Crayford excursion. In one 
instance, Mr. Spurrell had succeeded in building up a whole 
