Geological Society. 497 



Mr. Murchison's recent journey over large tracts of Russia was 

 intended to test the accuracy of the new classification of the palae- 

 ozoic rocks upon a still wider scale than any to which it had been 

 applied. Believing from the works of Strangways, Pander, and 

 Eichwald, that some membei's of these formations occur near St. 

 Petersburgh, and prompted by the suggestions of M. Von Buch, 

 that the threefold succession of Carboniferous, Old red, and Silurian 

 systems would be found to prevail in Livonia and North-western 

 Russia, Mr. Murchison, accompanied by M. E. de Verneuil, has 

 made during the last summer a most extensive and instructive tour 

 in Russia. The principal results of this journey were offered to the 

 Geological Section of the British Association in September last at 

 Glasgow, showing that the Silurian rocks occupy several islands in 

 the Baltic and large parts of Livonia and Courland, and range by 

 St. Petersburgh to the W.N.W. On the south they are overlaid by 

 a great red formation which was formerly supposed to be the New 

 red sandstone on account of its saliferous and gypseous beds, but 

 which is now proved to be the Old red sandstone by containing the 

 Ichthyolites wliich characterize that deposit in the British Isles; these 

 fishes, Holoptychius, Coccosteus, Diplopterus, &c., are associated 

 with INIoUusca similar in species to some of the fossils of the Devonian 

 rocks of England, Belgium, and tlie Rhine. The old red or De- 

 vonian rocks of Russia, spreading over a very wide area, are sur- 

 mounted in the Waldai Hills by Mountain or Carboniferous lime- 

 stone ; the latter formation (in great part resembling in mineral 

 condition a Tertiaiy deposit of white limestone) may be said to range 

 from Moscow to Archangel, and even into the country of the Sa- 

 moides, preserving the same lithological and geological characters, 

 and occurring almost universally in horizontal unbroken masses for 

 the distance of nearly one thousand miles. Thus the examination 

 of Russia has not only confirmed the palaeozoic classification of the 

 Carboniferous, Devonian, and Silurian systems, but has given new 

 materials for the establishment of correct geological theories as to 

 the formation of the surface of the globe ; for Ave now learn that 

 deposits of this high antiquity have been left in undisturbed posi- 

 tions over very large areas, and that under such circumstances 

 their structure has undergone little or no modification ; whilst the 

 large Producti of our Mountain-limestone occur in Russia in a 

 wliite deposit, resenililing tlie most incoherent pai'ts of the Cal- 

 cairo grossicr of Paris. The general results and details of this im- 

 portant examination of Russia will shortly be brought before our 

 Society. 



DEVONIAN SYSTEM. 



After reviewing the vast European extent which the equivalents 

 of the Old red sandstone have been shown to occupy on tlie Conti- 

 nent, we cannot forget how mucli we owe to the sagacious and 

 exact researches of Mr. Lonsdale, set forth in his most masterly 

 and liigiily scientific communication to us respecting tiie age of the 

 limestoiH^s of Soutii Devon, wiierein, after showing the state of for- 

 mer erroneous and inconsistent opinions upon the subject, he dc- 



