Downloaded from http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/ at New York University on June 23, 2016 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. .4NNU,4L GENER,4L MEETING, FEBRUARY 15, 1856. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. THE Council, in laying their annual statement of the affairs of the Society before its Members, beg to express their opinion that it ewnces a continuance of the same satisfactory state to which, on former occasions, they have directed attention. The number of Fellows, it is true, has suffered a diminution of nine; but this is mainly to be attributed to the numerous deaths which have occurred since the last anniversary. The Society from this cause has lost twenty-six ordinary Fellows, and seven have resigned during the same period, making a loss of thirty-three. Twenty new Fellows have been elected in the past year, and four elected ill the previous year have paid their subscriptions in this ; making, in all, 24, which, deducted from 33, leaves a loss to the Society of 9, as Before stated. One Foreign Member has died, and one has been elected during the year. The total number of the Society at the close of 1854 was 884, and 875 at the dose of 1855. The expenditure during 1855 has exceeded the income by s 128. 4d. : but in the income is included ~191 12,. 9d., the balance at the beginning of the year. The actual excess of expenditure is, therefore, ~s 58. ld., which has principally been occasioned by increased expenditure on the Quarterly Journal and YOL. XII.. a Downloaded from http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/ at New York University on June 23, 2016 ANNIVERSARY MEETING. the forthcoming Volume of the Transactions. The Council con- fidently hope that the Fellows will not regret an outlay, whose pur- pose is to further those objects for which they are associated. At the same time they would remark that the expenditure on this head would be materially lightened, were it met by a greater disposition on the part of the Fellows to purchase the Society's publications. Were this the case, the Council would have it in its power to do justice to the Memoirs read before the Society by more liberal illus- tration. Among those whose loss the Society has to deplore during the past year is George Bellas Greenough, the first President of this Society, and ever its liberal patron. At his death, which occurred in April 1855, he bequeathed to the Society all his title to the Geological Map of England which bears his name, and which will ever be a monument of his extensive knowledge and untiring perse- verance; he also bequeathed all his Books, Maps, Charts, Sections, and Engravings relating to Geology. He further bequeathed to the Society the sum of ~500 to defray the expense of finding accommo- clarion for the Collections. This sum of ~500 has been for the present invested in the Funds; so that the amount of the Funded .Property of the Society, which at the close of 1854 was~4014 158.8d., Is now ~4578 19s. 2d. In addition to this the Society holds two Exchequer bills of ~100 each. Amongst the many Donations received since the last anniversary, the Council would call especial notice to the "Natural History of Deeside," b~r the late Dr. McGillivray, printed at the expense of Her Majes~, and presented by His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Fellow of this "Society. Many other copies of this beautifully executed work have been liberally distributed among the Fellows by His Royal Highness. The Council have to report that the 1 lth volume of the Quarterl~r Journal has been completed ; and that the 1st part of volume 12th will very shortly appear, although its publication from unavoidable circumstances has been retarded. The Council have also to state that the 4th part of the 7th volume of the Transactions is in the press, and will shortly appear. The Supplement to the Catalogue of the Library, of which six sheets are now printed, will also soon be ready for publication. In conclusion the Council beg to state, that they have unani- mously awarded the Wollaston Palladium Medal to Sir William E. Logan, Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, for his valu- able contrib~ions to geological knowledge in his elaborate papers on the ori~ and structure of the Coal-beds in England, and for his subsequent labours in Canada, in carrying out the Geological Survey of that country ; and particularly for the admirable Geological Map of Canada, constructed by himself from materials of his own collect- ing, and exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, last year. They have also awarded the balance of the proceeds of the Fund to M. G. Deshayes, for his great exertions in the extension of our knowledge of Tertiary Geology, and for his Paleontological works Downloaded from http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/ at New York University on June 23, 2016 ANNUAL REPORT. l!l illustrative of the Tertiary Basin of Paris, and to assist him in the publication of the forthcoming continuation of his Work "Sur les C.oquiUes fossiles du Bassin de Paris." Report of ttte Litrary and Museum Committee. Litrary. During the past year the principal addition to the Library has been the magnificent bequest of Mr. Greenough of the whole of his collection of Geological Books and Maps : these have not yet been arranged in our Library, but, as the Council has appointed a special Committee to consider of the best plan for the arrangement of that collection, it is not necessary for us to enter into the consideration of this important matter. The other additions which "have been made to the Library during the year have all been worked into their places both in the shelves and the Catalogue ; among these we call attention to the large number of]~arts of the Journals of various Scientific Societies, both English anct Foreign, which have been obtained by application to those So- cieties, or by exchange of our own publications for them, and the Geological and Mineralogical contents of which will be found under the list of the Donations published in our Journal by the Assistant- Secretary. The system of exchanging" publications with other Societies has answered so we!l, that we strongly recommend its continuance and extension as opportunities occur. The additional shelves ordered by the Council have been placed in the Assistant-Secretary s room, and have served to receive the addi- tions constantly reaching the Society ; they will probably be sufficient to hold the usual additions of the next two years, if another recep- tacle be prepared for Mr. Greenough's books: the re-arrangement of the serials brought on by the moving part from the old to the new shelves has taken up a good deal of Mr. Jones's time. The mounting of such Maps as are likely to be often referred to, including all those lately received from the Ordnance Geological Survey, has been continued, and two new Map-Cases have been added to hold them; and a Stand has been added to hold large Portfoliosl The printing of the Supplemental Catalogue has been proceeded with ; six sheets are already printed, containing nearly all the books, and the printers are at work on the part containing the rest of the Books and the Maps ; and the MS. Catalogue of the Charts is already prepared. This, when completed, will include all the additions to the Library during the ten years ending with 1853. As the MS. additions to the volume of the Catalogue of reference in the Library, which contains the Periodicals, are now included in the printed Supplement, it is desirable that a portion of that volume should be re-arranged for greater convenience of reference, In the Lower Museum a Case has been added to receive Maps and Charts, and is already partly occupied. Application was made to the Board of Ordnance for the revised sheets of the Survey of England, and for the Block.Plan of London~ which application has been refused by letter of 4th June 1855. a2 Downloaded from http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/ at New York University on June 23, 2016 ANNIVERSARY MEETING. ~eum. The additions to the British Collection indude a large collection of specimens from Bovey Tracey, presented by Dr. J. G. Croker, which have just been received, and are not yet placed; also a set of Fossil Plants from Stud]and, presented by Mr. W. R. Brodie ; and a very interesting series of Ferns, &c., from the Yellow Sandstone of Ire- land, presented by the ReD. Prof. Hanghton, F.G.S. ; also specimens of Allophane from the chalk-pit of Charlton, Kent, presented by Dr. Krantz. During M. E. Renevier's stay in London he examined all the specimens from the Gault in our collection, and compared their names with those in use on the Continent, especially with those of Pictet and Roux, in their "Mollnsques fossiles des Gr~s Verts de Oen~ve." Agreeably to the order of the Council, an interleaved copy of Mr. Morris's Catalogue of British Fossils has been placed in the Museum, to serve as a means of cataloguing our collection; and a beginning has been made in it by Mr. S. V. Wood, in the Tertiary series, and by Mr. D. Sharpe in the Cretaceous series. It is to be hoped that other Fellows of the Society will lend their assistance towards carrying out this most desirable object. Mr. Gawan has been employed during the year assisting Mr. Jones, both in the necessary attention to the Museum and in the arranging the Library and preparing a catalogue of Mr.