16 
REPORT OF THE 
Museum for a period of twelve years, Professor Phillips finally 
retired from these offices in the year 1842, but still retained a 
connection with the Society as one of its Honorary Curators. 
He was appointed Professor of Greology in the University of 
Dublin in 1844; and in 1845 he received from the Geological 
Society the Wollastan Medal. In 1849, on the joint recom¬ 
mendation of Professor Phillips and Mr. J. T. Lenyon Black- 
well, who had been appointed Commissioners for the purpose 
of investigating the various Collieries of the Country, the 
Government determined to place these Mines under systematic 
inspection, and Colliery Inspectors for this purpose were 
appointed. On the death of Mr. Strickland, in 1853, the 
office of Deputy Header of Geology, at Oxford, became vacant, 
and was offered to, and accepted by. Professor Phillips, and on 
the death of Dr. Buckland he became his successor in the 
Chair of Geology in the University of Oxford. In 1859 
Professor Phillips was elected President of the Geological 
Society of London. Professor Phillips continued actively to 
discharge the duties of the professorial chair at Oxford until 
his lamented death. It must not, however, be supposed that 
the Science of Geology alone engaged his attention. His 
writings on this Science exceed 70 in number, but there is 
scarcely a branch of physical research which Professor Phillips 
has not at some time or other elucidated by his laboui’s and 
illustrated by his writings. During the latter years of his 
residence at St.. Mary’s Lodge, within the grounds of the York¬ 
shire Philosophical Society, the Science of Astronomy largely 
engaged his attention. An equatorially mounted telescope was 
fixed in his garden. By this instrument, a 6^ inch refractor 
of 11 feet focus, from the factory of Messrs. Cooke, Professor 
Phillips experimented with considerable success in lunar 
photography, and he appears to have been the first to have 
given to the world detailed accounts of expeiiments in this 
branch of celestial photography. In 1853 the Professor read 
an elaborate paper on the subject before the British Association 
at Hull. By the instrument referred to, he was enabled to 
produce a negative of inch diameter in 30 seconds. He 
communicated to the Eoyal Society notes on the drawing of 
