Nevertheless, we have a fine selection of articles. We start with a review of early glacial theory by postgraduate student Diarmid Finnegan. In Edinburgh, we all know about the influence of Louis Agassiz, but Diarmid puts him into a mid-nineteenth century context as well as introducing us to a number of British and other scientists who contributed to the debate.

Louis Agassiz was Professor at Neuchâtel University and this provides a link with the next article, which is an interview with Life Fellow Donald McIntyre. Donald is the longest-serving member of our Society, having been elected as a Fellow at the same time as Arthur and Doris Holmes, who had then just moved to Edinburgh. Some of his early work was carried out at Neuchâtel under the tutelage of Eugene Wegmann. Donald, who is eighty this year, is still active, having recently written a review of the work of James Hutton.

There is a link with Louis Agassiz in the next article too! Mike Taylor completes the story of Hugh Miller with a look at what happened to his collection of rocks and fossils. (The connection? For those who donít remember, William Buckland invited Louis Agassiz to Britain in order for him to see the various collections of fossil fish, of which Hugh Millerís was of paramount significance). The Miller collection could have gone to America, but it is now in the Royal Scottish Museum. The article tells you how this happened.

Richard Batchelor sent me a copy of a menu that was in the attic of the late Tony Weir, for whom Richard was an executor. The menu is signed by some 79 geologists from the Geological Survey and the Edinburgh Geological Society, together with a sprinkling from Glasgow, of whom John Weir, Tony's father, was one. We have reproduced the menu (though not the signatures) here and we talk about some of the luminaries who were present. Thanks are also due to Gail Gray of Murchison House Library for looking up information on this event for us.

This issue's What's in a Name? article was inspired by a letter from Corresponding Fellow Hatten S. Yoder, who was calling my attention to the fact that I had spelt his name incorrectly in a previous issue. I decided to look at personal names that were associated with geology and the resulting short article describes some of these. I would welcome contributions for this series in future issues... I am running out of ideas, but surely someone out there has some thoughts on place names, mineral names, fossil names or other geological nomenclature.

After a break, we are back with a couple of book, or at least leaflet, reviews. Bill Baird has taken a critical look at the site information leaflets produced by the Lothian and Borders RIGS group. It is usual for authors of these articles to receive free copies of whatever they review, but as these leaflets are free anyway, I have to thank Bill all the more for doing this for me!

This issue's Poets Corner results from an e-mail that I received from someone who had used the Internet to search for 'geology' and 'poetry'. Melisande Luna is a student at California State University but she also writes poetry. Since she started to correspond with me in October last year, she has also made contact with Colin Will, whose poetry we published here in Spring 2000.

Lastly, we have contributions from Vic Loudon, who sent me a wine label for Flat Rock, and from Algela Anderson, her ninth Rocksword. The Flat Rock wine somehow brings the issue full circle. Flat Rock is in California and you will read in the interview with Donald McIntyre that one of his recollections is of a wine-tasting of Californian wines, though it was Melisande, not Donald, who gave me the geological information for this one.

This issue includes the Proceedings of the 168th session of the Society. Ever since I started this job, David Land has compiled the information for me. Now that he has moved south, I have had to do it myself. Thanks to all those, and in particular to Don Mallick and David McAdam, who have supplied me with information and kept me right.