he was at various times the secretary or president of the three learned societies of cornwall – royal geological society of cornwall (president from 1903–1904, and 1911–1912), the royal cornwall polytechnic society and the royal institution of cornwall. contributed significantly to the "transactions of the royal geological society of cornwall", and was awarded the bolitho medal by the rgsc in 1898. collins was the founding secretary of the mineralogical society of great britain and ireland in 1876 and was involved in founding the institution of mining and metallurgy, becoming its vice-president in 1892. he also lectured for, and was secretary of, the miners association.