Mr. Smith's Geological Claims slated. 17^ 



than a quarter of a century of time distant) known or cnrrent, 

 amongl very large proportion of the same class ot practical 

 men, throughout all the coal districts of Great Bntan 



2d. Having while so engaged, accurately d>scnmmatcd //.... - 

 aular and undisturbed Strata, with the roundi.h ^odu^'i^'^^l 

 freauentlv contain, and trata of Sand, from the really worn and 

 Sogeneous alLnal ruins of Strata, which are ..^e.|naZ%, 

 and ve?y variously scattered,o« the top, and edges of the Strala\, 

 but arlin no cL found beneath regular Strata; and having 

 pracd'ali: establish-id means, of knowing ^^e Muv^a^^.u>.^^t 

 first sight' ;-at the time, when almost all observers and waters 

 on the subject, were confounding the alluvia with the sti-ata. 



3d. Haiing in the year 1795, applied the aforesaid inferences 

 or deductions^o practice, in actually making a Map oj iae Strata 

 in the vicmity of Bath and Bristol, and having then freely shown 

 and explained the same, to great numbers of P^.>-^«"^|' P^'^J"' 

 larly to those assembled at several public meetings ot the BdtU 

 and West of England Society. ., ■ r , Q,^nfn 



4th. Having, during the progress of making this first Strata 

 Map, and in beginning verv soon after, to extend this map to 

 S'parts of EfiglaiJ, discovered a notable ^-fference b^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 certain English strata, as to the visible boldness with which tke 

 edges of certain of them are presented on the surface compared 

 with others ; some of them forming almost continued ranges of 

 hills ^, where they basset; and low flat districts, or wide easy 



• See Derbyshire Report, i. 163. Note. Mr. Farey being unable still, at 

 this dal! to aS any other mmes to the two there mentioned, feee note *. 



^"?MrSfand others, who have now acquired experience ;. ike prao- 

 tke ofminerJl mrveying,\re ready to testify, that the Smith.an rules of 

 %crtiation as to the Srata and the Alluvia, were c^uite fundamental one>, to 

 ?Spro™ n acq^^ a knowledge of the British strata, and without 



"S SSinatic,?, no p^gress whatever could have been rnade thereuu 



1 The late Rev. Joseph Townsend was among these person.; and who 

 so highly valued what Mr. Smith had done, as to request and F«^^ ^r. 

 Smith', for matei-ials and permission, to publish a general -J-^ ° ^^ --' 

 and a List of the Shells and Strata (mentioned m the 8th and lith items 

 Tn some work which he then contemplated; on ^^^l^f^^ ^^^^f'^^^^'^^^ 

 respondence took place in May to July 1801, between tbe Rev. B- ^'^'^^r" 

 son and Mr. Smith; wherein the former persuaded ^^r-/^'^;^' „\° P^S 

 them himself; and to cause a Latin edition to be prepared, for moie leadi v 

 drculSgthe important novelties of Mr S.'s ^1-°--'-' ^.^^^f °".^J,J; 

 roDC In 1812 Mr. Townsend published the 1st volume of his " Chaiacter 

 of Moses," and in the preface, handsomely acknowledges Mr. Smith s as- 

 sistance in tracing the strata, &c. . . „. . ,Ki;»v.»rl hv Mi- 



§ This principle of selecting characteristic Strata, ^^''.P^^^'^^f ji 

 Farey in February 1810, in the Phil. Mag. vo . xxxv. p. 138; and in June 

 IHll! in Derby Report.!. 112, 113; he having Previously «c«erf onit,m 

 ISO?: in the constriction of a great part of his large Mineral Map of Dei- 

 tyshjre, and its environs. valleys 



