338 Mr. Weaver on the [May, 



statements of Freiesleben* That of Dr. Bone, expressing that 

 what is exclusively called rothetodtliegende by Mr. Conybeare, 

 is not the old red sandstone of English geologists, will be readily 

 acceded to, since the former constitutes in fact (with the excep- 

 tion of the weissliegende) the upper part of the carboniferous 

 series of Freiesleben; but, let it be remembered, this is only 

 one part of the question, and not inconsistent with the general 

 view of that author. -f- The account given by D'Aubuisson 

 also, though insufficient in several respects, is not incompatible 

 with this view, by whom indeed the rothetodtliegende is ex- 

 pressly referred to the same formation as the terrain houiller, 

 composing the principal part of its mass. J The language of 

 Beudant likewise is of a similar import, who also expressly 

 ascribes the rothliegende in question to the same series as the 

 carboniferous, designating the latter by the general term of the 

 red sandstone formation , and comparing it with that of Scotland 

 as described by Prof. Jameson, Dr. Mac Culloch, and Dr. Boue.§ 

 On this subject, Mr. Conybeare observes, "whether it (namely, 

 the rothetodtliegende exclusively so called by him) be more pro- 

 perly referable to the upper part of the carboniferous, or the 

 lower part of the saliferous series, is a distinct question, on which 

 much division of opinion exists, and which is after all not very 

 material. I have endeavoured to compromise the matter by 

 treating it as an intermediate link between them." I cannot 

 subscribe to this doctrine. There can be no compromise upon 

 a question of truth and error ; nor can it surely be deemed imma- 

 terial to which series the rothliegende in dispute belongs, if we 

 place a just value on a correct knowledge of the respective rela- 

 tions of the two series. My surprise is, that any division of 



* A reference, however, to the Comparative View taken by that distinguished natu- 

 ralist of the English and Continental floetz formations, will at once show that it is defi- 

 cient in several important particulars. — (See D'Aubuisson, Traitede Geognosie, vol. ii. 

 p. 255.) 



■f See Dr. Boue in vol. iv. of the Wernerian Memoirs. 



j See Traite de Geognosie, vol. ii. p. 252. " Le gres rouge, que nous appelerons 

 gres houiller, le terrain ahouille en faisant partie, repose immediatement sur le terrain 

 primitif ou intermediare." P. 2G3. "• La grande formation de gres houiller se divise 

 tres convenablement en deux parties ; l'une comprend le terrain houiller proprement 

 dit ; et l'autre le gres, appele, dans la Thuringe, gres rouge, avec ses couches subor- 

 donnees: mais tout en distinguant ces deux parties, nous remarquerons qu'elles appar- 

 tiennent a la mime formation ; et quoique le terrain houiller soit le plus souvent au des- 

 sous, il lui arrive quelquefois d'etre cntremele et meme d'etre superpose au gres rouge." 

 And p. 306. " Le gres, masse principale du terrain houiller, prend souvent nne grande 

 extension, en dbandonnant, au moins en majeure partie, la houille avec l'argile shisteuse 

 qui 1'envelope, et il constitue des terrains d'une grande etendue. II a ete principalement 

 observe en Thuringe, ou il est connu sous le nom de rothetodtliegende. Werner le 

 nomine gres rouge, par suite de sa couleur habituelle dans ce pays." 



§ See e. g. the extract from that author's Travels in Hungary, inserted in the 14th 

 number of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, in particular, p. 269, and 273 ; and 

 more generally, p. 267 — 273, which convey a clear account of the geological relations of 

 the Saxon pitchstone, as well as of that of Italy (at Grantola on the Lago Maggiore) . 

 In both cases, the pitchstone is associated with porphyry, red sandstone, and conglome. 

 rate, the whole of which are referred to the carboniferous series. 



