4'40 Mr. De la Beche's Sketch of a Claasification 



be expected from the energy and zeal of the indefatigable 

 Bertero. 



I can also give you a piece of botanical intelligence from 

 Paris. The celebrated Baron Bory de St. Vincent will in the 

 course of this year proceed to the Antilles ; there to examine 

 that favourite tribe, the Ferns, of which he already possesses 

 a very complete collection. He expects to be able to elucidate 

 all the points which Plumier left doubtful. From the well- 

 known liberality of mind which this enlightened naturalist pos- 

 sesses, I should hope that it would be as agreeable to him as 

 to our Germans who are partial to the Ferns, to have this in- 

 formation communicated in these pages ; and, whether before 

 or after his voyage has taken place, to see them thus placed in 

 connection will confer much pleasure on 



J. A. SCHULTES. 



LXVIII. Sketch of a Classification of the Europea7i Roclcs. By 

 Henry T. De la Beche, Esq. F.li.S, S,-c.* 



nnO propose in the present state of geological science any 

 -*• classification of rocks which should pretend to more than 

 temporary utility, would be to assume a more intimate ac- 

 quaintance with the earth's crust than we possess. Our know- 

 ledge of this structure is in reality but small, and principally 

 confined to certain portions of Europe ; and even in many of 

 these portions we are continually presented with new views 

 and a detail of newly-discovered phoenomena by able observers, 

 which so modify our previously received opinions as in many 

 instances almost to amount to a change of them. Still, how- 

 ever, a large mass of information has been gradually collected, 

 particularly as respects this quarter of the world, tending to 

 certain general and important conclusions; among which the 

 principal are, — that rocks maybe divided into two great classes, 

 the stratified and the unstratified; — that of the former some con- 

 tain organic remains, and others do not; — and that the non- 

 fossiliferous stratified rocks, as a mass, occupy an inferior place 

 to the fossiliferous f strata, also taken as a mass. The next 

 important conclusion is, that among the stratified fossiliferous 

 rocks there is a certain order of superposition, marked by pe- 

 culiar general accumulations of organic remains, though the 

 niineralogical character varies materially. It has even been 

 supposed that in the divisions termed formations, there are 

 found certain species of shells, &c. characteristic of each. Of 



* Communicated by the Author. 



f The term fossi/ifvrous is here confined to organic remains, 



this 



