| Administrative History | The Committee of Nomenclature was officially appointed at the Ordinary Meeting of 6 May 1808. Its remit was as follows:
1) That the present state of the Nomenclature of Geology and Mineralogy renders it highly necessary that this Society should adopt some measures which shall tend to remove the confusion that now prevails in order that its own members may have on uniform language for the relation of Geological and Mineralogical facts.
2) That a committee shall be appointed consisting of twelve ordinary members of the Society, three of whom shall form a quorum, which shall be permanent until the object of their appointment is accomplished, and which Committee shall be named ‘The Committee of Nomenclature’.
3) That this Committee shall have two principal objects for their attention viz the selection of appropriate terms for the uniform description of Geological and Mineralogical facts; and the collection of all provincial terms connected with these branches of science.
4) That this Committee shall from time to time lay before the Society at their general meeting a report of their proceedings.
5) That the terms which shall be proposed by this Committee and approved by the Society at their general meeting shall be printed for the use of Members.
6) That the collection of provincial terms with their synonyma shall be also printed for the use of the Members.
7) That the above resolutions be printed and transmitted to the different Members of the Society accompanied by a letter requesting their assistance in promoting the objects of this Committee.
8) The following Members were appointed on the Committee of Nomenclature, viz, Mr Horner, Mr Greenough, Mr Davy, Dr Babington, Dr Laird, Dr MacCulloch, Mr Aikin, Mr Wm Phillips, Dr MacMichael, Sir James Hall and Mr Lowry. [from GSL/OM/1/1, 4 May 1808]
Henry Warburton added to Committee at the Ordinary Meeting of 4 Nov 1808.
The Committee produced progress reports until at least January 1811, which are no longer extant. However a circular letter was sent to all members on 10 July 1810, stating that it had become apparent that to produce a uniform list of terminology would be extremely difficult to achieve. Instead the Committee was to compile a dictionary of the various provincial mineralogical terms which would eventually be published by the Society. The letter invited Members to communicate with the Committee such provincial terms, possibly enclosing a specimen alongside for reference. The Committee's membership was renewed at the AGM of February 1811. |