L. A. Necker de Saussui-e Voyage en Ecuhsc. 169 



the rugged precipices on its shores, which permitted me to 

 race at leisure during a journey of many days, not merely the 



someZp \ '"■"'"' Y'' '^'''''^ geological formations, 



sometimes, under very singular circumstances." 



Ihe untrammelled spirit of observation which Mr. Necker 

 uniformly breathes amid the seductions of system and the 

 tyranny o names, merits the highest commendation. NulUus in 

 verba is obviously his travelling talisman, as it ought to be thlt 

 of every philosopher. Full credit may therefore be given m 

 for the following declaration in his Preface: " In alf these T 

 rehtoTofZrlT'^'''^'' detach most perfectly the impartial 

 TheTj/u ^ •" ^^^--y th'"g hypothetical and systematic, 

 ninn n h A 'f ""'"'^ ^'^ observations ought, in my opi- 



nion to be regarded as a witness who depones to the verity of 

 a fact, without being obliged to emit his conjectures as to^ts 

 causes In this spirit I have followed, although imperfectly 

 without doubt, the path so skilfully traced out to geoloS K 

 Zeal o/'rfv"^^''^'"^' D^Saussure. a path t^ly ^hi oso- 

 o line ; ^'l ^T^'' ^""^ ^'' Alpes exhihlt an admirable 



outhne. Leaving to others to decide on the origin and mode 

 of formation of mineral masses, I have had in view only to 

 examme with attention the phenomena which nature preseVts 



Pn.eVf .'[•^''^"'•^''^^'"^""''y ^°"8ht to draw some infer- 

 ences from this examination, I have never ventured beyond tJie 

 more imniediate consequences, those which geognosy autho- 



presided at the formation or consolidation of rocks, fix the 

 relative antiquity of the different masses, agreeably to principles 

 universally adopted at the present day " ^ prmciples 



It was during the years 180G, 1807, and 1808, that Mr 

 Necker was inScodand. Had the work, now first publ shed 

 related to politics, or to the arts and sciences in geS the 

 delay would have greatly diminished its value. B^ n reflr! 

 ence to Its geological purport, the interval has been well em- 

 ployed, and has brought to the original stock of observation a 

 great accession of interest. Since his departure from Scot- 

 and he has surveyed several districts of the Alps of S^itzer 



WaTs'thr^^^ '^ '"J'^^'^^' ^P^^^ ^^ AuvVnefof the 

 vivarais, the Pyrenees, the coasts of Provence, and of the 



Genoese states, and journeyed, for the sake oTgeoloo-y^throud! 

 many counties of England, particularly CornwalK° Hence he 

 has been enabled to compare the geolo|ical structure of these 

 ht a"X""' T^ that of Scotland and its neighbour' 

 isles. And he justly remarks that, whether it be as a painter 

 or naturalist that we observe difl^erent countries, it is comlartZ 

 only which can teach us to seize in each its characterisSa" 



" 'I'he geological description," says he, " which Professor 



