Inaugural Address by David Milne-Home, Esq. of Milne Graden, LL.D., F.R.S.E., F.G.S., &c.

Abstract

Fellows of the Edinburgh Geological Society, — I am glad of the opportunity of again meeting you at the commencement of this Winter Session. Though no longer physically able to join in geological excursions, I am pleased that I can still, to some extent, fulfil a portion of my duties as President, by bringing before you some information regarding the present condition of the Society, the work we are doing, and the progress of Geological Science generally in Scotland. 1. Our Members at present consist of the following classes and numbers:— 2. The funds of our Society, as at 15th October 1884, are shown by the following statement, as supplied to me by Mr Adams, our Treasurer:— 3. The number of papers read at our meetings last winter was altogether seventeen. They will afford materials for Part IV. of Volume IV. of our ‶Transactions.″ I trust that there will be always materials for a yearly publication, so as to make our doings known; for no Society, dependent, as ours is, on voluntary subscriptions, can expect to flourish unless it keeps itself in the view of the public. 4. During last summer there were two excursions of the Members to localities of geological interest. The first, conducted by the Rev. Mr Kennedy, was to visit Raised Beaches, at Largo (Fifeshire), as also out-throws of Basalt, contortions of Strata, and a well-marked line of fault. The second excursion, on 5th July, was with the Glasgow Geological Society, and was to view the excavations along the of