302 Analyses of Books. [Oct. 



ten on the science in almost all the languages of Europe. He 

 has surveyed in person almost every corner of Great Britain and 

 Ireland ; he has traversed France, and Germany, and Transyl- 

 vania, and visited Switzerland, Italy, and part of Spain. He 

 has studied most of the geological collections of Britain, France, 

 Germany, and Switzerland, and compared the opinions of the 

 most celebrated theorists with the tracts of country on which 

 their opinions have been founded. When to all this we add 

 the modesty and candour which he has uniformly displayed, 

 and the independence of mind which has prevented him from 

 being entangled in the trammels of any system, however fashion- 

 able or fascinating it might happen to be ; it will be admitted, 

 we think, that the examination of the first principles of this very 

 difficult science could not easily have fallen into abler hands, or 

 been examined by one more capable of doing justice to the merits 

 of all parties, nor more likely to remove the magical influence 

 attached to great names which have stamped upon certain 

 opinions an artificial value, to which of themselves they are by 

 no means entitled. 



The essays contained in the volume before us are eight irk 

 number. They bear the following titles : I. On Stratification. 

 II. On the Figure of the Earth. III. On the Equalities which 

 existed on the Surface of the Earth previous to diluvian Action, 

 and on the Causes of these Inequalities. IV. On Formations. 

 V. On the Order of Succession in Bocks. VI. On the Proper- 

 ties of Bocks as connected with their respective Ages. VII. On 

 the History of Strata as deduced from their Fossil Contents. 

 VIII. On Mineral Veins. I shall endeavour to lay before the 

 reader a view of the author's opinions upon each of the subjects 

 of these essays. 



" I. On Stratification. 



The science of geology has been prosecuted in a way very 

 different from the other sciences ; but exceedingly analo- 

 gous to the mode followed by the schoolmen in what they 

 were pleased to consider as physical investigations. The result 

 has been nearly the same. Every topic is a subject of con- 

 troversy. Geological writings have multiplied exceedingly; 

 yet it is doubtful if the science has made a corresponding pro- 

 gress. The object of geologists has hitherto been to account 

 for the structure of the earth, and to explain by physical causes 

 how it has assumed the form which we find it to possess. 



With respect to the original and present structure of the earth, 

 there appear to be two points about which no reasonable doubts 

 can be entertained. 1 . That the earth must have been origi- 

 nally in a fluid state. 2. That its mean specific gravity is about 

 five times greater than that of water. 



The first of these points is inferred from the figure of the 

 earth ; which is absolutely or nearly that which would have 



