^86 Baron Humboldt's View of the scientific Researches 



of the valleys of the Velay, he concludes after the following 

 manner : — ] 



'* There remains, then, some degree of incertitude in establish- 

 ing the chronologic relations between the epoch in which the 

 volcanoes of the Velay became extinct, and that in which these 

 animals disappeared from our climates. Notwithstanding, — 

 the existence of their remains is in such correspondence with 

 the facts exposed in the commencement of this memoir, rela- 

 tive to the disintegration of the large basaltic masses of the 

 banks of the AUier, as to induce us to throw far behind histo- 

 ric times the epoch in which our volcanoes ceased to be in ac- 

 tion." 



[In a note appended to the foregoing memoir, a reference 

 is made to another important discovery of fossil bones in the 

 district of the Velay. This is due to M. Felix Robert, an 

 active naturalist of Le Puy. He pointed out the place of 

 their deposit to Dr Hibbert, and it will be described by him 

 in a future Number of our Journal.] 



AiiT. XVI. — General view of the Scientific researches recently 

 carried on in the Russian Empire. In a discourse pronoun- 

 ced at the Extraordinary sitting of the Imperial Academy of 

 Sciences of St Petersburg, held on the 28th November 1829. 

 J3y Baron Alexander de Humboldt *. 



If, in this solemn assembly, which evinces so noble a desire to 

 honour the labours of human intelligence, I venture to solicit 

 your indulgence, it is only to fulfil a duty which you have im- 

 posed upon me. When I had returned to my native country, 

 after having travelled over the frozen crest of the Cordilleras 

 and the forests of the lower equinoxial regions, — when I was re- 

 stored to agitated Europe, after having for a long time enjoyed 

 the calm of nature, and the imposing aspect of savage fertility,. 



• We are glad to be able to lay before our readers the very eloquent 

 discourse of this distinguished traveller and philosopher, who has been so 

 kind as to favour us thus early with a copy of it. It was printed by or- 

 der of the Academy of Sciences. 



