Society of Friendly Searchers into Nature at Berlin, gi 



beyond the boundaries of their own country, though de- 

 sirous of giving up their opinions when they do not coincide 

 with nature, cannot abandon their volcanic ideas. Of this 

 Brcislac, Fortis, Fabroni, and, in particular, the acute- 

 sighted Dolomieu, are striking examples. Does this arise 

 from the different appearance assumed by the various kinds 

 of trapp in these countries, and in Germany and England ? 

 But there is even a great difference of opinion among 

 those who defend the Neptunian origin of basaltes. In 

 general they consider the formation of basaltes as belonging 

 to the class of the alluvial kinds of substances, but assert 

 that they are formed at different periods. On the other 

 hand, Karsten, in his mineraiogical tables, unites all the 

 Stones belonging to basaltes in one peculiar class, and other 

 geologues entertain other opinions of this species of stone. 



As more data can now be obtained than at the period 

 when the former question was proposed, the object may be 

 more fully obtained by a repetition of it, especially as many 

 experiments on this subject are to be found in a variety of 

 works ; as a new component part has been discovered in 

 basaltes by Klaproth and Kennedy, and as many essential 

 observations not yet published have been since made. 



The 'society has therefore resolved to give a prize of thirty 

 (ducats, transmitted to us by one of our foreign members, to 

 be employed in improving the study of the sciences, fo» a 

 paper which shall contain the best account of the nature of 

 basaltes ; the most satisfactory conclusions on that subject ; 

 and the best exposition of the errors in the different opinions 

 hitherto offered respecting it. 



. The candidates must readily conceive that all partial con- 

 clusions, where the geognostic nature of one country only 

 is taken into consideration, will be foreign to the proposed 

 end : a comparison therefore of the most striking varieties 

 of this singular production, found in different countries, is 

 expected ; such for example as the basaltes in Bohemia and 

 pn the Rhine ; that of Auvererne with the basaltes of the 

 middle part of Italy j the basaltes of Scotland with that of 

 Ireland, &c. 



An exposition of the peculiar character of its formation 

 in different lands, and a clear account of the principal re- 

 sults in regard to the general formation, corresponding with 

 fhe acknowledged principles of geology, will answer the 

 views of the society. 



The answers, written cither in German, French, or Latin, 

 |Uust be transmitted in the usual manner, with a motto and 



a sealed 



