13i Geological Heinatks oh the 



because the edges and accessible parts of the sirata snperin- 

 cumbent upon chalk, have not been sulFrciently till novr 

 any where explored, to delect the peculiar and interesting 

 indications of these strata, which we have now the autho- 

 rity of two most able naturalists, it* saying, exist in such 

 profusion, and are each disposed in such unerring regula- 

 jritv, that a very thin bed of lelline shells was observed hy 

 them over a district more than 274^ miles long, and more 

 than 11 broad ? This I think would hardly seem likely, v^s 

 fpr as Great Britain is seated upon the chalk strata, alter 

 the \ouz ^nd indefatigable researches of Mr. Smith and of 

 bis followers, as well as of other En.glish naturalists, 

 who seem always to have been alive to preserving and de- 

 scribing the bones, teeth, and other rare fossil remains, 

 which accident or the miner exposed ; though in few in- 

 stances, perhaps, with all these acute discriminations, which 

 our authors are able to bring into this importaiit field of in- 

 quiry. Again, is it because the Paris strata, though depo- 

 sited alike on the English chalks, either never did here holdy 

 or now preserve no traces of the myriads of organized r^e- 

 mains, which are so perfectly preserved in the French part 

 of these strata, although they once existed here also ? And 

 again, are the London clays, aad the sands beneath and 

 above them (in some places), to l>.e considered as the Paris 

 strata in a modified state ? * Or, should the Paris strata be 

 wholly wanting in England, in that case, are the matters* 

 fcere covering the chalk, belonging lo the alluvium ? or are 

 they local strata placed by tlie side, or parallel with, the 

 Paris strata, as our authors maintain to be the case with two 

 t)f their soils or formations, viz., the Vth and Vlth ? 



I shall only offer a few remarks, and not aUempt, at pre- 

 sent, a full discussion of the above six queries, but beg ra- 

 ther to throw them out, as subjects worthy the researches 

 and consideration of your readers and correspondents, and 

 particularly of the members of the London Royal and Geo- 

 logical Societies, who will, I hope, excuse me in hijiting, 

 that the national honour seems to call upon them, to bestir 

 themselves, in the accurate investigation of the strata on 

 which thery are seated : and in the discussions necessary for 

 truly fixing their relations to those, on which the Parisian 

 Institute have thus lamentably been suffered to take the 

 lead . 



It will be gathered from the imperixct sketches, to which 



* Perhaps as grp:\t dissimilarity hi the state and api)erirance of some par- 

 xicuUr strata, in distant places, lias in other ins-t.tnces been observed in Bri- 

 tajMr where the inferior and superior strata pj>>vc the identity. 



I have 



