MURCHISON, SIR Roderick Impey, Scottish geologist: b. Tarradale, Ross, Scotland, 19 Feb. 1792; d. London, 22 Oct. 1871. He was educated at the military college in Great Marlow and at the University of Edin burgh; entered the army in 1807 and served under Wellington in the Peninsular campaign, but retired from the army with the rank of captain of dragoons in 1815. He then took up the study of science at the advice of Sir Humphry Davy and spent years in scientific investigations, particularly in that of geology. In 1825 he became a member of the Geological Society of London, of which he was president in 1831-32 and in 1842-43. His investigations ex tended through France, England and Wales and he reclassified Palmozoic rocks, giving to his new system the name Silurian in 1835. He also identified the Devonian system. In 1841 he was commissioned by Emperor Nicholas to make a geological survey of Russia and was engaged in that work until 1844, making discov eries which enabled him to present to the scien tific world the Permian system. He was one of
the founders of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and presided over it in 1846. He was several times elected presi dent of the Royal Geographical Society and from 1862 until his death was continuously re elected. In 1855 he was appointed director of the British Geological Survey. He was knighted in 1846, became a knight commander of the bath in 1853 and a baronet in 1863. The Emperor of Russia conferred on him the grand crosses of Saint Anna and of Saint Stanislaus. He published 'Geology of Chelten ham' (1834).; 'The Silurian System' (1839) ; 'Geology of Russia in Europe and in the Ural Mountains' (1845) ; 'Geological Atlas of Europe' (1856), etc. Consult Geikie, 'Memoir of Sir Frederick Murchison' (1875).