16 Dr Boue's Observations on the 



magnestan limestone. 4. Older alpine limestone. 5. Alpine 

 limestone^ with subordinate saliferous deposites. 6. Younger 

 alpine limestone. 7. Tertiary formations. 



In regard to the central primary axis, we have but one re- 

 mark to make, viz. that its termination is not distinctly given 

 by our authors. The primary Alps, that appear to sink out of 

 sight between Wien-Neustadt and Oedenburg, in Hungary, 

 actually continue under the tertiary soil, and the valley of the 

 Danube, and crop out again in the Neitra Comitat, to the east 

 and west of that town. From this point, they extend to the 

 NW. and NE. of Neusohl; and, lastly, they unite with the 

 chain of Prassiva, Kralova, Hola, &c. The granitic group north 

 of Presburg, as that of the Tatra, are only isolated portions of 

 this chain. The central alpine chain would thus terminate 

 geographically near to Vienna, but geologically in Northern 

 Hungary. It is separated from the Carpathian primary chain, 

 either because one part may not have been elevated to the 

 same height as the rest, or because a partial sinking down has 

 buried that portion. On the other hand, the primary chains of 

 the Marmarosh and Transylvania, are evidently not in the same 

 direction as the similar Alpine chain, and owe their origin to up- 

 heavings that have taken place in totally different lines of direction. 

 This is the opportunity to defend myself against a reproach 

 of Messrs Murchison and Sedgwick. They accuse me of 

 pushing the spirit of generalization too far ^ of bringing under 

 comparison formations widely separated from each other in the 

 Alpine and Carpathian chains, sometimes by the help of miner a- 

 logical characters, and almost unassisted by a single organic re^ 

 main. If I am not mistaken, we might retort, and with more 

 justice, on these gentlemen, when we find them intermingling 

 the geology of Carinthia and Salzburg ; but our defence will 

 not rest on such criticisms. We have already proved, that the 

 primary Alpine chains do continue in the northern Carpathians ; 

 and hence it is quite natural to expect in these last named 

 mountains also, the continuation of the Alpine calcareous chain. 

 This last fact is generally acknowledged ; and I doubt not if 

 these gentlemen had visited the Carpathians, they would have 

 been the first to assent to it. It is to be understood that we do 

 not mean to say that small calcareous deposites are placed along 



