Proceedings of the British Association. 353 
the disposition of organic remains may hold true for a certain extent 
of the earth’s surface, we have no right to consider such a disposi- 
tion universal.—Mr. Sedgwick remarked, that be could with certainty 
distinguish four calcareous zones in North Devon—viz. one at Liston, 
a second at Iifracombe, and two others at Barnstaple. The differ- 
ence of the limestones of South Devon was also very remarkable; that 
of Plymouth being essentially distinct from that of Dartmoor. These 
carbonaceous strata also extended several miles into Cornwall.—Mr. 
Conybeare considered that the public had exaggerated the difference 
of opinion then before the meeting. He was rather inclined to co- 
incide with Messrs. Sedgwick and Murchison in considering the 
Strata in dispute as referable to the general carboniferous system, 
and from the general resemblance of the formations to those of Pem- 
brokeshire, the probability was much strengthened.—Prof. Phillips 
Conceived that it had been satisfactorily proved, that there existed a 
coal basin in the interior of Devonshire, although, at first sight, from 
the unprofitable nature of the contained coal, being the kind called 
Culm, some hesitation might have taken place as to assigning it its 
true position. But doubts must vanish on inspecting the organic re- 
mains: and here he might observe, that it was a mistake to suppose 
that Dr. Smith, the founder of English geology, had ever intended 
to limit the range of these remains as some had accused him of. 
We might readily assume, and observation has confirmed, that some 
organic remains of one stratum may be found in contiguous strata, 
associated with fossils of different kinds, so that organic remains alone 
are insufficient to point out distinctions in strata. But the general 
appearance of the limestones of Devon was precisely similar to those 
of the north of England, in regard both of mineral character and 
imbedded fossils... From their appearance, he had expected their 
interstratification with shales, and Mr. Murchison had confirmed this 
supposition. The Devon limestone corresponded indeed with the 
upper bed of the Yorkshire limestone; in the former he had de- 
tected a shell, a species of Anodon, which he had not observed in 
the latter ; but the species of Posidonia found in both exactly cor- 
respond. Perhaps one cause of mistake might have been the little 
attention paid to the black limestone of Craven, by Mr. Conybeare, 
and to this limestone there was a most striking resemblance in the 
black variety of Devonshire. He alluded to the extraordinary ano- 
maly of coal plants having been found in the Alps, associated with 
Colites, but this might be an exception from the general law, and 
Vout. XXXI.—No. 2. 5) 
