Book Description

Excerpt from A Description of the Soil-Geology of Ireland, 1907: Based Upon Geological Survey Maps and Records With Notes on Climate The Geological Survey of the United Kingdom was instituted in January, 1845, and its work commenced in May of that year. In Ireland, the southern counties first received attention, and the results of the operations carried on by the Irish branch of the Survey originally appeared on small-scale county maps. These maps were afterwards replaced by sheets on the scale of one inch to the mile, accompanied by Explanatory Memoirs - each sheet representing twelve miles by eighteen. The issue of the series of one-inch maps now obtainable commenced in 1857 and was completed in 1890, when the ordinary field-work of the Survey terminated. From 1890 to 1901 a small staff was retained for the purpose of bringing the published maps into conformity with recent geological work elsewhere, especially in Great Britain, the rapid progress of the science having rendered this necessary, in the case of the earlier survey-work. The examination of soils and subsoils formed an important part of the regular work of the Survey, for several years at the outset; and collections of samples were made throughout many of the townlands of Cork, Waterford, and Kilkenny. The exigencies of purely scientific research, however, and the demand for a greater rate of progress in the mapping, necessitated an abandonment of soil and subsoil examination, which was not resumed prior to 1901. The one-inch geological map of Ireland having been completed, the opportunity seemed favourable for presenting to the public a succinct account of the geology of the country, prepared chiefly from the standpoint of agriculture. My proposal to do this was approved of by my late chief, Sir Archibald Geikie, who, although the work should necessarily be ultra-official, sanctioned for the purpose the use of illustrations drawn from official sources, and free access to all official maps and records. The present work was undertaken in 1897, and the extent of my indebtedness to many authorities and friends is apparent throughout the text. To one who - no longer with us - held a leading place amongst English scientific and experimental agriculturists, I am especially indebted. To another - a director of the Agricultural department of an English college - I owe the suggestion that an account of Irish climate should form an important feature of the work. The manuscript of the book was handed over by Sir A. Geikie in 1901, to the Department of Agriculture. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.