254 EDITORIAL REMARKS. 



must have been favourable for the transportation of terrestrial produc- 

 tions, are facts which the geologist cannot easily exclude from recol- 

 lection ; and as the result of geological research in every country of 

 the world where fossiliferous strata have been studied, the Stonesfield 

 relics come before him, the one single exception — the solitary record 

 during that period of the earth's history, of the existence of beings 

 in the same elevated class in which man himself has been stationed. 

 We had a few casual remarks to offer on this subject, rather from 

 a feeling that we ought not to pass by a topic in Paleontology that 

 has excited such an unusual degree of attention, than, with the 

 idea of testing the strength of the respective positions assumed dur- 

 ing the course of the discussion ; but perceiving that our observations 

 would extend over a greater space than we can venture to afford, we 

 must take another opportunity of reverting to the subject. 



Some numbers of a work have, within the last few days, come un- 

 der our notice, the publication of which we see with no small share 

 of surprise, mingled wrth a feeling not far short of indignation. — 

 The covers bear the following indication of their contents. — " Concho- 

 logie Mineralogique de la Grande Bretagne, par James Sowerby. — 

 Traduction Franchise revue, corrigee, augmentee, par L. Agassiz." A 

 French version of the text of Mr. Sowerby's ' Fossil Conchology,' with 

 coloured imitations of the accompanying figures, and this published 

 at one fourth the cost of the original work, is about the last thing 

 we should have looked for from the hands of Louis Agassiz. The 

 illustrations, for the most part, are but sorry imitations, though suf- 

 ficiently characteristic to serve for the identification of the species, and 

 thus check at least the foreign demand for a work, upon which so 

 many years of toil have been expended. As a set-off against this un- 

 due appropriation of the labours of another, — this inroad upon the 

 property of a fellow-labourer in the field of science, we are told that 

 "l'utilite d'une edition Franchise du Mineral Conchology, mise a la 

 portee de toutes les bourses, devant etre incontestable aux yeux de 

 tous ceux qui favorisent les progres de la Geologic" 



Now if some noble patroniser of science in this country, acting un- 

 der a conviction that an English translation of the 'Poissons Fossils,' 

 with a fac-simile of the numerous illustrations, would, if published 

 at ten shillings each part, instead of thirty, be very acceptable to 

 all those who are favourable to the progress of Geology, were, 

 either by the aid of a government grant, or from his own private re- 



