■1823.] the principal Mountain Chains of Europe. 11 



conglomerate or rothe todteliegende,* on which the cupriferous 

 slaty limestones, coeval with our magnesian series, repose. 



(I.) The Alps. 



. Having surveyed the detached groups described in the preced- 

 ing paragraphs, we may now resume our account of the principal 

 chain, where it displays itself with the greatest magnificence in 

 the colossal summits of the Alps : the older rocksconstituting 

 this chain first emerge from beneath the more recent calcareous 

 chains of the Apennine in the north-west extremity of Italy. 

 The first traces of the primitive rocks appear on the borders of 

 Tuscany and Liguria. Serpentine is here the prevailing rock. 

 In Tuscany this forms only low hills, but in Eastern Liguria, it 

 constitutes the nucleus of the mountain chains, which are still 

 called the Apennine. Gneiss and micaslate also occur ; granite 

 is rather rare, but beautiful varieties of primitive limestone are 

 quarried in several places. It is not, however, till after passing 

 Genoa that the name or character of the true Alps begins : here 

 that portion of them called the Maritime Alps overhangs the 

 coast of the Gulf. The primitive rocks appear to skirt the 

 shore for about half the distance between Genoa and Nice, when 



* All the maps and descriptions of the Hartz concur in proving this order of superpo- 

 sition ( which has been controverted by Mr. Weaver), with regard to the great and prin- 

 cipal mass of the rothe todtliegende. My high respect for my opponent in this contro- 

 versy, and a general hatred of dispute, arising from reverence for the Baconian pre- 

 cept, " cordi et curae sit non disputando adversarium sed opere naturam vincere," make 

 me reluctant to misemploy my time in such discussions ; but since a correct view of the 

 relations of this rock forms an essential point in the identification of the British and con- 

 tinental series, I pledge myself in a short time to prove distinctively that Freisleben 

 does expressly recognise the rothe todtliegende as a distinct formation from that of the 

 carboniferous rocks ; and to establish the superposition above given by copies of the 

 maps and sections of the districts in which the rotheliegende occurs, pointing out at the 

 game time the source of the confusion which has occurred. 



From the perusal of Keferstein's memoirs on Germany, while this note was passing 

 through the press, I find the most complete confirmation of this opinion, the rothelie- 

 gende is uniformly described as reposing on the porphyry and coal formation. It is 

 necessary, however, to advert to a source of confusion which might otherwise arise, from 

 a mutual misconception of each others nomenclature, between the German and English 

 geologists ; the series of rocks being, as is agreed between both parties, I . Coal. 2. Por- 

 phyry. 3. Red sandstone conglomerate (rothe todteliegende or rother sandstein); 

 4. Limestone representing geologically our magnesian lime (alpen kalkstein of Kefer- 

 stein); 5. Variegated marie with salt and gyps (hunter sandstein). The English geo- 

 logistv have been in the habit of treating No. 3, 4, and 5, as included under one great 

 formation, to which they have applied the mme, new red sandstone, in order to distin- 

 guish it from the older quartzose conglomerate which underlies the great limestone form- 

 ation Supporting the coal, a rock, generally reckoned by the continental geologists (parti- 

 cularly by Raunicr, and by Bcudant in his excellent work on Hungary) among the 

 transilion series. 



Hence the English writers use indifferently the same terms for the rother sandstein 

 and the bunter sandstein — a circumstance which has Jed Kef'erstein in one instance to 

 bclifve, that a difference as to fact existed between himself and Buckland, wlicrc in 

 truth a difference of nomenclature was alone concerned. 



In England, the magnesian limestone being of limited occurrence, this mode of view- 

 ing the subject is sufficiently precise; but it will be necessary in order to prevent the 

 recurrence of these misunderstandings to harmonize for the f'uiurc with the German 

 writers, and to speak of the three formations as distinct, though yet as appertaining to 

 pne ;jreut order, that ; namely, of the newer or saliferoos sandstone. 



