Geological Observations on unstratified Mouniaims. 443 
any partin them. I may add, that theories seem perfectly 
harmless, when advanced by humble individuals hike my- 
self, and free from the evil justly complained of, that of 
their being retailed in books, lectures, &c. forages together, 
because advanced by great men, without due inquiry into 
their validity, or any comparisons being made of the gross” 
inconsistencies which may exist between such. theories, 
and the most obvious of geological phenomena, and while 
many others of the most important kind, were either wholly 
unknown, or wilfully overlooked, by the framers of such 
theories (see your xxxiiid volume, page 313). Thus much 
‘T have been desirous of saying, on a subject, on which I 
daily witness greater mistakes than in any other, great num- 
bers of persons having gone over from one extreme, that of 
implicitly receiving theories from great authority, to the not’ 
less mischievous one, of clamorously crying down all 
theories or attempts at generalization. I am determined 
however, not to be influenced by these circumstances, but 
always while viewing or contemplating the phenomena of 
nature, to give free scope to comparisons of them with 
existing theory, or to the imagination in-search of others, 
which may seem to explain them better: and when after- 
wards, the iacts and the reasonings or theory are faithfully 
Stated together, it is impossible, I maintain, that any harm 
to science can come from them, while much good may re- 
sult from the discussion which a new theory may ex- 
cite. 
I am, sir, 
Your obedient servant, 
Westminster, June 4, 1811. Joun Farey. 
_P.S.—The comparison which I have lately made with 
the List of Derbyshire Hills at page 162, of your present 
volume, and the proof of the Map of them engraved for my 
Report, have detected a few errata in the former, which I 
beg here to state for correction, viz. Page 165, line 4 from 
hottom, before Gorsey insert W.—Page 168, line 19, he- 
fore Wollaton insert E.—P. 169, line 26, before Cloud in- 
sert W,:and line 34, before Mole insert W.—P. 170, line 
10, for (Green) read (Blue), and line 12, before Ecton 
insert W.—P, 171, line 4, for S read N, and line 7, before 
decir aft insert S.—And p. 174, line 8, before Lose in- 
sert E, j 
, 
LXXIV. The 
