SW Geological Society. 



have produced veins of fibrous gypsum, calcedony, and opal, mi- 

 nerals which must have been introduced into the rents in a state of 

 sublimation. 



In some places there are tufaceous marls, regularly alternating in 

 thin beds, with still thinner and countless layers of granular gypsum, 

 the whole mass being again run through everywhere by irregular 

 branching veins of silky fibrous gypsum. These strata, thus inter- 

 sected, present a perfect counterpart to some of the secondary 

 gypseous marls, both of the keuper and variegated sandstone for- 

 mations in Germany*. 



When reading the Professor's description of these phsenomena, 

 we share in the pleasure and surprise which he felt on comparing 

 strata of high antiquity with others of so recent a date, and which, 

 moreover, owe a portion of that resemblance to changes now daily 

 in progress. 



The writings of Baron Daudebard de Ferussac were not devoted 

 principally to Geology, but we are indebted to him for several me- 

 moirs, and among others for an Essay, published in 1814, on fresh- 

 water formations, with a catalogue of the species of land and fresh- 

 water shells which were then known to enter into their composition. 

 Monsieur de Ferussac contributed largely to the Geological section 

 of the Bulletin Universel des Sciences Naturelles, a journal, of which 

 he was the chief editor and original projector. This Bulletin had, for 

 its object, to give a monthly analysis or brief abstract, usually un- 

 mixed with criticism, of the contents of all new publications in every 

 department of science. The work was first carried on for a year on a 

 smaller plan, and then assumed in 1824 its enlarged and permanent 

 form, being divided into eight sections, one of which was devoted 

 to Geology, Palaeontology, and Natural History. A monthly 

 number appeared regularly, on this and each of the other seven 

 sections, the whole forming together a large octavo volume. In 

 the organization and direction of this scheme, the Editor was 

 indefatigable, and he succeeded in obtaining the co-operation 

 of a great number of the most able and eminent writers. In an- 

 nouncing the original aim and scope of the undertaking, he laid 

 stress on the difficulties under which men of science labour in pro- 

 curing intelligence of new works, written in a great variety of lan- 

 guages in difierent parts of the world, and frequently buried in the 

 voluminous and costly transactions of learned societies. He there- 

 fore expressed a hope that his Bulletin would serve as " a kind of 

 telegraph" for the rapid conveyance of the earliest intelligence of 

 inventions and discoveries, so as to prevent philosophers from wast- 

 ing their time and money in slowly feeling their way to results al- 

 ready found out by others, and attaining with great labour the very 

 points from which they might have started. The Geological sec- 

 tion of the Bulletin was ably supported by MM. Boue, Brongniart, 

 and other writers, and survived the other sections for some time, 



* Liparischen Insehi, p. 41. Leipzig, 1832. 



