10 
lieionh of the Geological Snneg of India. 
[voi.. Kill. 
upon the too plausible assumption tliat an eager protest against superior authority 
is probably 'well founded, and so they publish communications which their better 
judgment might lead them to decline, if only for the sake of the writer himself, 
I regret that an illustration of this difficulty has occurred during the past year. 
Museum .—The various collections arc in g’ood working order. Two small popu¬ 
lar guide books were prepared ; one by Mr. Lydekker for our fine series of tertiary 
vertebrates, and one by Mr. Mallet for the minerals ; they are sold for mere cost 
price at the door, and have met with some demand. Mr. Fedden is now engaged 
in rearranging the meteorites, amalgamating the Asiatic Society’s specimens with 
the larger collection made by the Survey. Mr, Theobald has prepared a brief ac¬ 
count of meteoric phenomena to be prefixed as a popular guide to the new catalogue. 
Several small collections of rocks, minerals, and fossils have been foi’warded to 
local Museums and Colleges. 
Library .—The number of volumes and parts of volumes registered as received 
during 1879 was 1,283 ; being 604 by pi’esentation, and 6/9 by purchase. Ar¬ 
rangements are in progress for the printing of the catalogue. 
Personnel. —Mr. Ball was absent on furlough for the whole year. Mr. Foote 
left for two years’ furlough on the 13th ilay. Mr. Mallet took 15 months leave, 
on medical certificate, on 26th July. Mr. Blanford took 16 months furlough from 
23rd August. Mr. Hughes returned from furlough on the 15th October, and 
has taken up work in the South Rewah Gondwana basin on the west, from Hatni. 
I was absent on privilege leave from 26th July to 2oth October. 
Mr. Richard D. Oldham was appointed by the Secretary of State as an 
Assistant in the Suiwcy, and joined his post on the 17th of December. He has 
taken up work with Mr. King in the Godavari valley. In addition to the 
high proficiency in geological studies evinced by Mr. Oldham at college and 
aftei'wards by independent work, we have the pleasure to welcome him as the son 
of the founder of our Survey and its successful director for a period of 25 years. 
Apprentices Kishen Singh and Hira Lall having served their five years of 
probation ■with sufficient credit, and having acquired a serviceable knowdedge 
of rocks and minerals, they received, on my recommendation, pennanent promo¬ 
tion as sub-assistants. They have been in turn usefully employed in the Office 
and Museum in the place of the late Assistant Curator, and this post has been in 
consequence dispensed with. In turns they take the field with one or other of 
the geologists. It is still, however, very doubtful if they can ever prove compe¬ 
tent for independent field-work. Geologist’s work may not demand high mental 
powers, but it inevitably requires some originality of thought in dealing with 
obsenwation and induction, that peculiarly modern turn of mind to -which we 
owe the present development of natural science, the very quality which moie 
than any oflier makes the w’estern man different from the eastern. There is 
little or no gradation of work in geological surveying : to observe and interpret 
is required from the beginning ; and the observation does not consist in measure¬ 
ments, or any kind of manual performance, but vii'tually to put a life into stones, 
and to trace the history of that. life. Unless this is done with some approach 
to the standard of modem kuoivledge the work is not ivoidh pajdng for. 
Calcutta, 
January 1880. 
H. B. MEDLICOTT, 
SwpJt. of the Geological Survey of India. 
