L. A. Necker de Saussure Voyage en Ecosse. 171 



ferent regions of the earth. But I have at the same time found 

 that there exist facts, neither less general nor less important 

 which Werner did not know; facts which his disciples have 

 denied, and which are hitherto not duly appreciated by the 

 greater number of geologists, who have not personally observed 

 them ; and that these facts, noticed for the first time by Dr 

 Hutton,have been confirmed by the subsequent observations of 

 n/r if",""' ^'' '^^"'''^ Hall, Lord Webb Seymour, and others." 

 Mr. JNecker s work is divided into four parts. The first is 

 occupied with Edinburgh, its society, climate, and the minera- 

 logical structure of its environs, extending to both sides of the 

 I'orth, of which there is a useful map at the end of the first 

 volume. His second part is devoted to that most interestino- 

 of all knovyn geological scenes, the island of Arran, which he 

 has also illustrated with a map. Under this division we have 

 an account of the adjoining island of Bute, and a disquisition 

 on the manners of the Lowland Scots. His voyage to the 

 Hebrides, which was both extensive and enterprising, occupies 

 the third part; and in the fourth we have a lively account of 

 the manners of the Highlanders, before and since the rebellion 

 otl745; disquisitions on the Gaelic language, of which Mr 

 pecker has been a diligent student; on the authenticity of the 

 Foems of Ossian, and on GaiJlic poetry and music In an Ad 

 pendix the author presents us with an interesting and well- 

 drawn outline of the natural history of Scotland. 



Before entering on a detailed description of the geolodcal 

 phenomena observed in the hills round about Edinbur-h and 

 on the banks of the Firth of Forth, he gives a sketch^f the 

 general structure of the territory. This mineralogical district 

 comprehends the whole hydrographical basin of the Forth and 

 a part of that of Tay. Bounded on the north by the first'chain 

 ot the Grampian mountains which stretch from south-west to 

 north-east, and on the south by the long chain of the hills of 

 Lammermuir, this vast basin terminates to the east in the 

 German Ocean, and to the west and south-west it graduates 

 into the basin of the river Clyde. The bottom of this ereat 

 valley, which extends from the primitive mountains of the north 

 ot Scotland, to the transition hills of the south, belongs to the 

 class of secondary formations. The nature of the rocks which 

 compose this territory, the peculiar position of their strata and 

 the great abundance of coal which they contain, have induced 

 geologists to rank it under the independent coal formation of 

 Werner. Here we have alternating beds of conglomerate or 

 coarse puddingstone, of sandstone, and slate-clay, contain- 

 ing vegetable impressions. The presence of coal, and espe- 

 cially ot schistous coal; the disposition of the beds in concave 

 surfaces, or in the shape of a basin, so that the extremities of 

 me strata rise towards the mountains on whose feet they re- 



