484 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
u when Mons. Favre has asked us to engage in the same work, and 
“ to undertake for our country what he is doing for his? We are 
“ bound to answer this appeal. The solution of the same questions 
“ ought to occupy us. These erratic phenomena abound every- 
“ where in our district. The debris of rocks torn from the Alps 
“ cover the plain of Dauphiny, the plateau of the Dombes, the hills 
“ of Croix, Pousse, and Sainte-Foy. Already many geologists 
“ have studied these erratic phenomena in our neighbourhood, 
“ without being able to discover a solution. The truth, when we 
“ seek it, seems to fly from us; but we must persevere and pursue 
“ it till it is caught. 
“ Our desire is simply to prevent the destruction of the most 
“ remarkable blocks, and leave them on their natural sites, and 
“ also to obtain a collection of specimens to illustrate them, and 
“ we hope that our administrations will in this object not be behind 
u those of Switzerland and the department of Haute Savoie. Their 
“ example would, we doubt not, be followed by individual proprie- 
“ tors, where boulders cease to be regarded as mere masses of stone 
“ of unusual size, but without scientific value.” 
Besides this appeal, printed copies of which were extensively 
circulated, directions and schedules were drawn out to be trans¬ 
mitted to local societies as w r ell as to individuals who should under¬ 
take the investigation, in particular districts, maps of these districts 
being at the same time supplied. 
The documents from which I have made these extracts were, as 
I have said, transmitted to me by Professor Favre of Geneva. He 
wrote to me at the same time, and concluded his letter by saying, 
“ Yoila, Monsieur, un apercu de la marche de cette entreprise. Je 
“ serai bien heureux, de le voir s’etendre a l’Ecosse.” 
In a subsequent letter he repeats his suggestion thus :—“ Si vous 
“ pouvez organiser quelque chose de semblable en Ecosse, vous 
“ m’obligerez infiniment, en me tenant au courant.” 
In a third letter, he says, “ Permettez moi de vous renou- 
“ veller la demande que je vous ai addresse, en vous priant de me 
“ tenir au courant de ce que nous ferez pour les blocs erratiques de 
“ l’Ecosse, et des resultats que vous obtiendrez.” 
I have given these details of the proceedings in Switzerland and 
France, and quoted these passages from Professor Favre’s letters, 
