lit ee ae 
— 
Dr. Richardson’s Account of Stratain Ireland. 353 
paper on the Whynn Dykes of the same district, page 364 of 
your xxxvth volume; and of others. 
The very able, anid; with him I believe, original manner, in 
which Dr. Richar dson went about and completed the investiga- 
tion* of the stupendous Strata and Dykes of Basalt in Antrim, 
under 
* The manner or mode of investization here alluded to, received some years ago 
from me the name of Mineral Surveying, a British Art (originating with Mr. Wim, 
Smith) differing most essentially from the microscopic poreings over the indivi- 
dual stones or substances met with while examining the surface of the Earth, to 
which mere Mineralogists, or mere Naturalists, however eminent or expert, .are 
too prone, to attend: to much else; and d.ffering most essentially also, from the 
wild theoretical deductions from insufficient examination, to which Wernerian, 
Huttonian, and other partisans of the nw fashionable Schools, are addicted, and 
whose dogmas, respectively, they tou of.en-support, with much of injustice, acri- 
mony, and personality. 
Mineral Surveying is so mach more of a Mathematical, Mechanica!, Graphical 
or Surveying art, than a Mineralogical one, (if such be unders'ood as nicely dis- 
eriminating a!l mineral Species,) that the term ‘‘ Mineral” was pretixed to that of 
“« Surveying,” more for the purpose of marking its distinction from Land Sur- 
veying, Maritime Surveying, House Surveying. &e, than of claim ng rank for its 
professors, amongst those technical Mineralogists, Crystalligraphers, Concho- 
lugists, Chemists. &c. who laudably devute their time and the energies of their 
minds, to the investigations and the analysis, of the Cabinet-room and the Labo- 
ratory: all which are arts and pursutts, | beg to repeat, which I hold in g eat esti~ 
mation and respect (aithough time and cireumstances will sot admit of my parti- 
éular application to them); and L have oly similar fee/imgs towards their Pro= 
Fessors, individually, wherever their own personal conduct w tl admit. of such feelings 
towards them, be ng entertained. { have said thus much here, as the only reply 
I an descend to make to the Geoznostic Journalist, who at the commencement 
of the year, taking_example and courage from another in p. 563, &c. of your 
Jast volume, nnprovokedly and uutruly has aspersed iny writings, knowledge and 
conduct, on and relating t» the hardly acquired Profession, by which honestly 
support my Family, and benefit my Employers, as I have the satisfaction of 
often being told, afterwards, and particularly so, where I bave happened to go 
ever any groands v¢ which confident Geogrosts have preceded me 
A very ‘competent knowledge of Kural affairs, and of the Commerce and Me- 
chanic Arts and Manufactures any way connected with raw mineral substances, joined 
with correct knowledge and expertness in Mapping, and in the Geometrical in- 
vestigations of the internal structures of solid laminated Bodies, from observations 
made on their surfaces and in local perforations;—these I will venture to say, 
are of vastly greater consequence, as preliminary qualifications, for making Mi- 
neral Surveying usefid to Land and Mineral Owners, or in useful investigations of 
the stroctare of the crust of the Earth, than all the knowledge, now or likely to 
be possessed by, mere technical Mineralogi-ts, &e, great, improv red and improviug, 
and useful also in their proper places, as 1 fully admit their acqutrements to Le. 
And { will maintain, that such a knowledge of the external characters, struc- 
tures, and chemical compositions of the most common, and the most common!y 
useful Minerals, as is now very easily and soon to be attained, by any one, 
Rurally and Commercially or practically acquainted, as above mentioned, is all of 
their technical knowledge, that a Mineral Surveyor will ever find occasion for in 
the field, ov while expensively exployed out from home: his business hen being, 
to search for and explore every considerable or well defiaed Mass, whatever, on 
afler examination, may turn out to be its technical name, composition, or ses, its 
novelty, alleged Geognostic importance or what not, to map and describe on 
the spot (sometimes by Section, as well as Map) the positions, thicknesses, contor- 
tions, dislocations, denudations, &c, of ev ery such Mass ; noteing the local name 
‘Z2 or 
