116 The Permian System of Bocks. 



of Germany and Magnesian Limestone of England, we shall 

 publish others which are indentlcal with or analogous to forms 

 that occur in rocks occupying the same geological position in 

 North America. 



In America, indeed, as in Russia, these beds had been com- 

 pared with every deposit, from the coal to the Keuper inclu- 

 sive, whilst in our work they will be shewn to have no con- 

 nection with the New Red Sandstone or Triassic group, but 

 to occupy a definite position, truly intermediate between that 

 system and the carboniferous. At the same time it is mani- 

 fest, that although they overlie and are, as they ought to be, 

 very distinct from the Carboniferous system, yet they contain 

 some species of shells which occur in that division. Thus it 

 will be made evident, that after all there now remains scarcely 

 any real difference of opinion on this head between Mr Phillips 

 and myself (to which I alluded last year) ; for I learn from 

 him, that in England the analogy between the fossils of the 

 Magnesian and Mountain Limestone obtains to a far greater 

 extent than could be supposed from any published catalogues. 

 I trust, therefore, that the ensuing year will not be without 

 its fruits in the production of new works on the shells of the 

 Magnesian Limestone of our own country ; and I am glad to 

 have it in my power to inform you, that Mr King, the Cura- 

 tor of the Natural History Society of Newcastle-on-Tyne, is 

 preparing some excellent materials for this purpose. 



A better acquaintance with the Permian fossils, particu- 

 larly the prevalent Mollusca, induces me, notwithstanding 

 the arguments I employed last year, to infer that this deposit, 

 so naturally connected through its characteristic fossils with 

 the Carboniferous strata, must be classed with the Palaeozoic 

 rocks.* The physical structure of Russia is also greatly in 

 favour of this view ; for, in large portions of that country, there 

 is an entire absence of the great rupture between the Carbo- 

 niferous rocks and the Magnesian Limestone, which is so pre- 

 valent in the British Isles. The examination of rocks of this 

 age in North America, leads to the same opinion ; viz. that 



* My companions, M. dc Verneuil and Count Keyserlin^, have long entertained 

 the same views as Mr Phillips on this point. 



