MantelVs Fossils of the South Downs. 211 



the moon as if astronomers and philosophers think its attrac- 

 tive power over substances upon the face of the earth equal 

 to the attractive power of the earth itself; but I believe there 

 are very tew philosophers who are not satisfied of the con- 

 trary. Surely he does not wish us to understand, that be- 

 cause the moon has not power to sustain a handful of water 

 in the atmosphere, it has no power over it whatever. He 

 may as well attempt to teach lis, that because a magnet has 

 not power to lift a scale-beam, it has not power to disturb its 

 equilibrium. Upon re-examining tlie subject, Capt. Forman 

 may possibly discover, that the altitude of the flow is to die 

 altitude of the ebb, as the gravity of the ebb is to the gravity 

 of the flow. 



Henry Russell. 



XLI. Notices respecting Naa Booh. 



T/ie Fossils of the South Do-dims ; or, Illustrations of the Geology 

 of Sussex. By Gideon Mantell, F.L.S. The Engi-avings 

 executed by Mrs. Mantell, from Drav/ings by the Author. 

 4to, pp. 327. London 1822. 



JL K E infant science of Geology is making rapid advances, 

 and must continue to do so when embraced with such ardour 

 as is displayed in the volume before us. Mr. Mantell, to whom 

 the public is indebted for describing, and that very mmutely, 

 the geological phtenomena of an unexplored part of Sussex, is 

 a surgeon residing in the county, who, amid the numerous and 

 anxious duties of his profession, has snatched a few moments 

 which he has consecrated to science ; but he has done more, 

 he has enlisted his amiiible partner in the same cause ; and 

 ibrty-two well engraved plates attest Mrs. Mantell's talents as 

 an engraver, as well as her love of science, to which she has 

 thus so liberally contributed. 



Mr. Mantell's work is preceded by a preliminary Essay, 

 written by a Clergyman of the Establislied Church, to prove 

 the Cijrrt'sixmdence l)etween the Mosaic account of the crea- 

 tion and the geological structure of the earth. 



Although Mr. Mantell at first intended to confine his re- 

 searches to the South Eastern division of Sussex, yet he has 

 extended them to nearly the whole county, which he describes 

 very carefully and very minutely in all its various formations. 

 He coiifineshimself almost entirely to facts, seldom oflering 

 an opinion on a disputed point, but rather wishing to show 

 the sentiments of (Hhers. 



D d 2 ^^'e 



