tions to so many scientific works, he has left testimony showing not only the ability of the master but the aptitude of the pupil.
In the same year, at the age of 26, he entered upon the Geological Survey, and for eight years served as chief assistant to the palæontologist, Prof. Edward Forbes. Writing to his friend Dr. Grindrod, of Malvern, Salter says[1], "From 1846 to the time of Forbes's removal to Edinburgh in 1854, I shared with him the arrangement, description, and cataloguing of the public fossil collections of the Survey, took part in the field-work, and in all other duties shared the work with him and had his full approval."
On the retirement of Edward Forbes it was found expedient to separate the Lectureship on Natural History from the office of Palæontologist. Prof. Huxley was accordingly appointed to the former post, that of Naturalist to the Geological Survey, while Mr. Salter was installed in the latter office.
In consequence of the increasing extent of the labours of the Geological Surveyors, the examination of the Irish fossils was, in 1856, handed over to Mr. W. Hellier Baily, and in the following year Mr. Robert Etheridge, having been appointed Assistant Naturalist to the Geological Survey, took charge of the fossils of the Secondary and Tertiary formations of Britain, thus leaving Mr. Salter free to devote his whole energies to his favourite work—the fossils of the palæozoic formations.
During his period of office Mr. Salter prepared three Decades, with 10 plates each (8vo size), on the Trilobites in the collection at Jermyn Street, and, in conjunction with Prof. Huxley, a Monograph on the genus Pterygotus, illustrated with sixteen folio plates. He also completed a Decade on the Echini, commenced by Prof. Forbes, and supplied a part of the palæontology to Prof. Phillips's ' Memoir on Malvern.'
The palæontological portion of Prof. Ramsay's 'Memoirs on North Wales' was also written by Mr. Salter.
The officer holding the position of Palæontologist to the Geological Surrey of Great Britain has a large amount of routine work in examining and naming specimens and preparing lists of fossils of most prodigious length for the purposes of the Survey, and for exhibition in the Museum; and, added to all this, a series of demonstrations have to be given annually to the students of the School of Mines, on fossils characteristic of the various strata, with their range and distribution in time and space.
More than thirty papers by Mr. Salter, on various geological topics, are to be found in the Journal of the Geological Society; he also wrote in the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' the 'Geological Magazine,' &c.
Four parts of a Memoir on British Trilobites, illustrated by thirty
- ↑ The letter we refer to is dated "Leicester House, Malvern, Nov. 14, 1868," and is addressed to Dr. Grindrod and W. Mathews, Esq., MA., F.G.S., and appears to have been intended for publication, with a view to soliciting a pension from Government, which, owing to his retiring at the end of 17 years' service (in 1863), he was not entitled to claim.
