as advucattd by M, Elie de Beaumont. 125 



Tetendre a toutes les dislocations que presente Tecore minerale 

 de not re globe.^ 



A well marked distinction must be made between those who 

 reject totally the foundations of M. de Beaumont'*s doctrine, and 

 those who admit them, but at the same time do not think it 

 possible to push the consequences so far as he does. As a sup- 

 porter of the latter view of the subject, I am fully aware of all the 

 importance of the parallelism in the directions of mountain chains, 

 as well as of longitudinal and transverse valleys, when I have 

 limited countries under examination. These phenomena afford 

 important indications, when the geognostical positions have fur- 

 nished the key to the upheaving and upturning of the strata. 

 But I confess that in the yet infant state of the science, I dislike 

 travelling round the globe between the parallel lines of the same 

 elevation, without taking into consideration the incorrectness of 

 maps, and our complete ignorance about the stratification and the 

 nature of the strata in most chains of the earth. M. de Beaumont 

 may be right in his assumptions, but in this state of uncertainty 

 I prefer abstaining entirely from such speculative subjects. — 

 M. de Beaumont says, " le nombre des dislocations dans le sol 

 de chaque contree serait a peu pres egal a celui des directions 

 de chaines de montagnes nullement distinctes et independantes 

 les unes des autres, qu'on pourrait y distinguer.'' (p. 621.) For 

 my part I cannot admit this definition, because I take into 

 consideration the sinkings as well as the upheavings and up- 

 turnings; and, besides, I do not exactly understand the force 

 of the expression, " k peu pres."" The upraisings in a country 

 are indicated by the altered positions of the various series of 

 beds, and by the different directions of these changed positions. 

 Every upraising produced, either separately or simultaneously, 

 elevations, upturnings of the strata, depressions, and rents ; 

 thus the dislocations of a country will be marked by different 

 accidens ; first, by the variety of forms presented by chains of 

 hills, and by peculiarities in the position of the mineral masses 

 on their declivities ; secondly, by the upturning of beds even on 

 level plains, and at the level of the sea ; and, thirdly, by the 

 occurrence of f'epressions of the soil, rents, faults, veins, dykes, 

 open rents, and valleys. Ordinarily all these accidens of up- 

 raising and disturbing power can be classified into a certain 



