BELL, Robert, Canadian geologist, born in Toronto, Canada, 3 June 1841. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at Mc-Gill University, Montreal, where he received the degree of C. E. in 1861, M. died in 1878, and born A. Sc. in 1884. Queen's University gave him the degree of LL. died in 1883. He has been connected with the geological survey of Canada since 1856, and was appointed assistant director of the survey about 1877. He has been longer in the service than any other member of the staff. From 1863 till 1868 he was professor of chemistry and the natural sciences in Queen's University. He has traveled extensively through Canada in connection with the geological survey. He strongly advocated the building of the Canada Pacific railway in 1869, since 1877 has favored the opening of the Hudson bay route, and has surveyed the principal water-ways between Hudson bay and the great lakes, part of both shores of Hudson bay, and various rivers in the province of Quebec. In 1884 he accompanied the Hudson bay expedition in the " Neptune" as scientist and medical officer, and made a valuable collection of geological and other specimens. Dr. Bell has taken much interest in Canadian University affairs. He was the graduates' representative fellow in McGill University, from 1880 till 1886, and was one of the eighty original fellows of the Canadian royal society. He has been a life fellow of the geological society of London, England, since 1865, and is a member of several other learned societies. He published reports on geology and natural history in the progress reports of the geological survey, nearly every year, from 1857 till 1885; numerous articles in American, Canadian, and English journals, on geology, mining, geography, natural history, medicine, and forestry, from 1859 till 1886; and wrote the chapter on the progress of science in Canada, in the "Dominion Annual Register," from 1878 till 1884, inclusive.