Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 4.djvu/30

Rh given to the best Memoir presented to the Royal SOciety between the years 1834: and 1837, containing “Contributions towards a System of Geological Chmnology, founded upon an examination of Fossil Remains and their attendant Phaenomenaf’ a subject of the greatest interest, and also of the greatest delicacy, from its con— nexion with those agitating topics which the speculations of philo- sophers are compelled to approach, though they may not always venture to decide. I should have rejoiced to have seen in the Transactions of the Royal Society a record of the opinions of a Buckland or a Sedgwick upon a theme which is so worthy of the application of their highest powers; and I trust that, though its an- nouncement as a Prize Question has failed to secure, within the prescribed period, the accomplishment of the object proposed by it, it will still have done some service to the cause of science by ex- citing the attention of geologists in such a manner as may sooner or later lead to a deﬁnite and philosophical exposition of their views on a subject of so mach importance.

Those who have attended to the Tidal researches of Mr. \Vhe» well must be aware how much light has been thrown upon the chaiacter and course of the phacnomcua of the tides by the simul- taneom observations, under his instructions, which were made in the month of June, 1824 and 1835, at nearly ﬁve hundred sta- tions of the Coast Guard Service in Great Britain and Ireland, and simultaneously with the latter also at more than one hundred stations in America, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, and Norway. These observations were undertaken by the authority or through the inﬂuence of the Government of this country, which likewise most promptly and liberally furnished the requisite funds and assistance for reducing the observations in such a manner as was requisite for deducing general conclusions from them, a labour much too extensive and costly to be under- taken by auy single individual. I gladly seize this opportunity of bearing testimony, occupying as I do the highest scientiﬁc station in this country, to the readiness which the Lords of the Treasury and the Admiralty have shown on this and on every other occasion to forward scientiﬁc inquiries, and particularly such as are con- nected with the advancement of astronomy and navigation. They have granted funds for reducing and publishing the Planetary Observations at Greenwich, the valuable and extensive series of observations of the late Mr. Groombridge, for repeating upon an adequate scale the very important experiments of Mr. Cavendish, and for many other subjects of great scientiﬁc interest and value ; and I feel satisﬁed that every application for assistance towards the accomplishment of any important object in science, “ ill receive from them the most Willing attention and support, if it comes before them with the recommendation and authority of those persons who are most competent to judge of its usefulness or necessi1y, and in such a form as may justify them in appealing to Parliament for its sanc- tion of the requisite expenditure. I rejoice, Gentlemen, in such manifestations of the sympathy of the Government of this great