1823.] the principal Mountain Chains of Europe. 359 



of its fossils ; and a description of a similar formation overlying 

 the beds of Jura limestone at the loss of the Rhine, near 

 Bellegarde. 



o 



(D.) Germany. 



The prolongation of the Jura chain through Franconia is 

 covered from near Ratisbon with formations, probably coeval 

 with those now described. 



I have already hinted my suspicions that more than one form- 

 ation are confounded under the name of quadersandstein : that 

 rock so called, which is obviously interposed between the Mus- 

 chelkalk and Jura limestone, is probably the sand and sandstone 

 of our inferior oolite ; I still however conceive that much of the 

 quadersandstein in the north of Germany will not be found placed 

 in that relation, but rather corresponds with our green and iron 

 sands ; yet it is highly difficult to pronounce concerning a rock 

 which is so seldom seen covered by any thing but diluvial detri- 

 tus, and whose true place in the series must, therefore, rather be 

 inferred from theory than ascertained by observation. 



(E.) Poland. 



Mr. Buckland considers the sand containing lignite which 

 overlies the saliferous sandstones of the Wielickza mines, which 

 M. Beudant hesitatingly refers to the tertiary molasse as belong- 

 ing in truth to the green sand. Mr. Beudant's inference rests 

 only on the occurrence of lignite, which he erroneously consi- 

 dered as peculiar to the tertiary sands, but which, as we have 

 seen, is equally common in this formation. Mr. Buckland's 

 opinion is rendered greatly more probable by the general struc- 

 ture of the country. 



( To be continued.) 



Article VIII. 



A Means of Discrimination between the Sulphates of Barium and 

 Strontium. By James Smithson, Esq. FRS. 



(To the Editor of the Annals of Philosophy .) 



SIR, April 2, 1823. 



To distinguish barytes and strontian from one another, it is 

 directed in No. 19 of the Journal of the Royal Institution to dis- 

 solve in an acid which forms a soluble salt with them, to decom- 

 pose by sulphate of soda, and to add subcarbonate of potash to 

 the filtered liquor. If the earth tried is strontian, a precipitate 

 falls ; if barytes, not. 



When these matters are in a state to be soluble in an acid, a 

 more certain, I apprehend, and undoubtedly a much easier pro- 



