071 the Succession of' Rocks in the Disfrict oftlitt Lakes. 257 



After all, it does not appear quite axiomatic, that genuine 

 science and philosophy are essentially, if at all, promoted by 

 this kind of parties. They tend wonderfully to the formation 

 of distinct coteries. When from 50 to 100 persons, especially 

 men of talent, meet frequently, talk much about their own con- 

 cerns, or speculations, or discoveries, or supposed discoveries, 

 and little about those of other persons, it requires much more 

 watchfulness, and much more freedom from vanity, than usually 

 falls to the lot of mortals, to preserve these individuals from 

 thinking themselves " the wise, and that wisdom will die with 

 thtm." 



Doubtless the researches and discoveries of Hutton, Maske- 

 lyne, Lnnden, Waring^ Herschel, Youvg, Davy, JVollaston, 

 AJacCuUoch, Brewster, Ivory, and very many others, the glory 

 of British science, would have had all their intrinsic excellency 

 and all their distinguished celebrity, although Sir Joseph Banks 

 had never gratuitously dispensed a single cup of tea. 



XXXVIII. Remarks on the Succession of Rocks in the District 



of the Lakes*. 



StR, — It is a question not fully determined among Geologists, 

 whether the mountainous district of Cumberland, Westmorland, 

 and Lancashire, ought to be considered as a stratified or an nn- 

 Btratified country. This may arise partly from a want of suffi- 

 cient observation, and partly for want of a precise definition of 

 the term stratification. It is true, these rocks present little 

 of that regularity of appearance observable in many other di- 

 stricts; yet they can hardly be said to be devoid of all traces of 

 stratification; lind, if it be allowable to adopt an intermediate 

 term, they may be said to be imperfecfiy stratified. 



Granite is understood to occupy the lowest place in the series 

 of rocks which have hitherto been exposed to human observa- 

 tion ; it may be called the foundation rock npon which all the 

 others rest: there are, however, rocks of granite found in other 

 situations ; these mav be considered as of a later formation. 

 The only granite which I think entitled to the name primary 

 appeariiig in this district, is of a grey kind, composed of (piartz, 

 white felspar, and black mica ; it may be seen denudated in the 

 lied of the liver Caldew, near its source on the north -cast side 



• From 'he "Lon«daleMa{»azine,"an interestin;? monthly woik, printed at 

 Kirkby Lonsdale. In our 51:st vol. p. 389, we announced a Map of the District 

 of the Lakes, by the inftenious Writer of this Paper: upon Copies of this 

 Map presented by Mr. Otley to some of his Friends, he has laid down the 

 Strata, correspondinjj to the description here given. — EimoR. 



Vol. SU.No. 270. Oct. 1820. K k of 



