Continuity of Metalliferous JRepositories in Depth. 349 



also reckon, in the domain which the German School has 

 explored, the veins in the countries traversed by the Fulda, the 

 Werra, and the Weser, from the Thuringerwald to Minden ; 

 those of the circle of Siegen, Taunus, Westervvald and 

 Hundsriick, veins almost innumerable, then in full activity, 

 the plans and minute descriptions of which were ready for 

 the service of the new science. 



It was on the union of all these materials that the genius 

 of Werner founded his ti'eatise on the Formation of Veins. 

 The immense reputation of his lectures was owing, less to 

 his hypothetical theories, than to tlie practical doctrines and 

 principles which he deduced from this extensive collection of 

 documents ; they were a synopsis of the studies of entire Ger- 

 many for eight centuries. 



The savants who continued Wei'ner's investigations, natu- 

 rally took the countries which had formed the basis of his 

 studies as their point of departure ; and if the purely theo- 

 retical hypotheses of the founder have been modified, his 

 works of observation have been so precise, that all succeed- 

 ing investigations, and the gradual extension of mining, have 

 only tended to confirm them. As the field of the science be- 

 came enlarged, new facts were grouped around those that 

 had been observed by Werner ; and it was to the continued 

 cultivation of this science, and the confidence inspired by its 

 established principles, that the mines of the whole of Ger- 

 many owe the classical security and perfection of their works. 

 The authority of Werner's name has been increased by those 

 of Schmidt, Zimmerman, Hausmann, Friesleben, De Beust, 

 De Weissenbach, Naumann, Gotta, as well as by tbat of Hum- 

 boldt, who, on more than one occasion, has shewn the gene- 

 ral application of the principles established by Werner. 



In France, we have successively seen MM. Brochant de 

 Villiers, Dufrenoy, and Elie de Beaumont, give the support 

 of their observations and instructions to the works which 

 M. Heron de Villefosse had rendered popular in France. 

 Those who have exclusively directed their studies to the ap- 

 plications of geology, MM. Fournet, Daubree, Paillette, De 

 Hennezel, kc, have continued the labours of the German 



VOL. XliV. NO. XC. — OCTOBER 1848. 2 A 



