of the Parallelism of Contemporaneous Lines of Elevation. 119 



of the short geological excursion he had the pleasure to make 

 in his company during his visit to England, he has ever been 

 most deeply impressed ; and on the present subject he re- 

 gards the views M. de Beaumont has announced, as exhibiting 

 the first attempt to take a generalized and combined survey of 

 some of the most important phasnomena which fall within the 

 province of our science, and as one of the most masterly con- 

 tributions which that science has recently received. But there 

 will always be some danger, when new generalizations first 

 burst on the mind, of their being carried too far; and this dan- 

 ger will be in proportion to the ardour and vigour of the in- 

 tellect from which they emanate. A fair and candid conside- 

 ration of conflicting phasnomena appears to be the only way of 

 guarding against this danger : the character which Aristotle 

 has given of Plato, " he doubted and investigated," must be 

 that of the sincere lover of philosophical truth in every age. 



The sectional researches proposed by the British Associa- 

 tion being simply intended to invite discussion, the publica- 

 tion of any materials collected for the purpose remains, of 

 course, with the contributors. The accompanying paper is 

 therefore offered to the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine 

 and Journal of Science, should it suit their pages. 



Sully, July 4, 1832. 



The question referred to our consideration by the former 

 Meeting of this Society may be thus briefly stated. If we 

 examine the phenomena which appear to have resulted from 

 the action of the causes which have elevated at various ''eolo- 

 gical periods the strata of the earth's crust, especially with 

 reference to the line of direction in which those causes have 

 acted, how far does it appear that these phasnomena, — as pre- 

 sented by our own island, — confirm or militate against the 

 hypothesis announced by M,Elie de Beaumont, — as resulting 

 from his observations on the principal continental chains, — that 

 the elevating forces which have acted during l^ie same geolo- 

 gical periods have acted in parallel lines of direction ; and, 

 e contra, that those whose activity must be referred to differ- 

 ent epochs have not acted in parallel lines.* 



In attempting an answer to this question, it may be observed, 

 that as the conclusions of geological science ordinarily must 

 be deduced from the generalization of very multifarious local 

 details widely scattered, and such as can be collected only by 

 the united and long continued exertions of many independent 

 observers; so it were worse than presumptuous for individuals 

 entering for the first time on a branch of the subject hitherto 



• An Extract from M. de Ceaumont's exposition of his hypothesis will 

 be found in I'liil. Mag. and Annals, N.S. vol. x. p. 241.— Edit. 



