David Honeyman

International exhibitions Honeyman analyzed auriferous rocks at "Allen's" and "Laidlaw's" goldfields near Halifax in 1861 for the provincial commission of the International Exhibition. He published "On the Geology of the Gold-fields of Nova Scotia" in February 1862. Shortly after, he served as Nova Scotia's assistant commissioner at the 1862 International Exhibition. Travelling to London, he was awarded a medal for his geological collection. He was elected to the Geological Society of London, Geological Society of America, and designated a corresponding member of the Society of Arts.

Honeyman published a report on the geological survey of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton in 1864. It featured a section on minerals by Henry How. In 1864, King's College awarded Honeyman an honorary Doctor of Civil Law for his work with How summarizing Nova Scotia's geology for the 1862 Exhibition.

Honeyman was named Nova Scotia Commissioner for the Dublin International Exhibition of 1865, overseeing the province's exhibits and winning another medal in the geology category. He also collaborated with Professor Thomas Croxen Archer, an expert in botany. At the exhibition in Paris, he won a medal in the geology section. His observations were frequently published in the Proceedings of the Institute of Natural Science of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia Museum The Nova Scotia geologist advocated for a venue to display his geological exhibits alongside collections from the Nova Scotian Institute of Science and the defunct Halifax Mechanics' Institute. Honeyman was appointed as the first curator of the newly established Nova Scotia Museum in 1868. With no salary or government funding for three years, he was approached by William Garvie, leading to a $1,200 salary and a small budget in 1872. In 1878, he was appointed as the first geology professor at Dalhousie College upon the establishment of the college's Department of Science and first geology program. He began his first term as Professor of Geology, Paleontology, and Mineralogy in 1879. He served in the role until 1883.

Serving as secretary for the Provincial Museum's council, Honeyman read a paper on geological excursions in December 1884 and another on Louisbourg in April 1885.

Death Honeyman died on 17 October 1889 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Stricken by apoplexy, he died suddenly on his way home after closing the museum. Survived by his wife and four daughters, he was laid to rest in the Halifax cemetery on 20 October 1889, with a large procession of leading citizens in attendance. Geological Notes of Excursions with Members of the British Association (1884) On Louisburg—Past and Present—A Historical Geological Sketch (1885) On New Nova Scotia Fishes (1885) Nova Scotia Ichthyology (1885) Giants and Pygmies (1887)