Humboldt's Essat Geognostique, 327 



" Pour reunir les principaux phenom^nes de gisement des 

 roches dans les terrains primitifs, intermediaires, secondaires et 



tertiaires, j'offre la serie suivante : 



«> «^» /3+'r, /?y, y + r, «, y, ^, oc, /?, ^, o H y.^ r V, $\ y + 7r, y, 



II seroit inutile de donner Texplication de ces caract^res ; elle 

 resulte de leur comparaison avec le tableau de formation. 

 Je me borne k fixer I'attention du lecteur sur Taccumulation des 

 porphyres (w), sur les limites des terrains de transition et secon- 

 daires, sur la position des formations d'euphotide (o), sur les 

 grands d^p6ts de houille et de lignites (|), et sur le retour 

 (presque periodique) des formations feldspathiques, des granites, 

 gneis et micaschistes («, |3, y) de transition. Comme la notation 

 que je presente ici pent Hre diversement graduee, en accentuant 

 les characteres, en les reunissant comme des coefficiens dans les 

 formations complexes, ou en ajoutant des exposans, je doute que 

 les noms des roches rangees par s6ries les unes a c6t6 des autres 

 puissent parler aussi vivement aux yeux que la notation algorithm 

 mique." 



We must now take our leave of the book and the author. We 

 must be sorry that we have been obliged to write such hard 

 truths, and yet we fear that were the cause to occur again, we 

 should do it again. We have said that it was a justice we owed to 

 others, to shew that M. Humboldt was not the only authority, 

 or the highest, in every subject of science. And it is not fitting 

 or just, that the public, which cannot judge, and which neces- 

 sarily follows the cry of the day, should measure any man by 

 such an imaginary standard, and set up a false god to worship, 

 to the abasement of all others. It is an age of monopolies ; but 

 it is hard that the principle of monopoly should be extended 

 from fish to fame, from tea and porter to geognosy and botany, 

 and to all else which ought to be the common property of the re- 

 public (which we hope it will ever continue) of science and 

 letters. 



To himself, we might suggest, that, with more accuracy, less 

 pretension^ better writing, and far less writing, he might have 

 acquired a fair share of permanent reputation ; but he has de- 

 sired to be more than all, and will live to see his honours melt 

 from him as snow before the summer. To retrieve, is perhaps 

 now impossible ; but if he shall shew any desire to do so, we ^vilI 

 be among the first to allot the praise which, he ought now to 

 know, must follow solidity and accuracy, and can never long 

 follow any thing else. 



