1824.] Older lied Sandstone Formation, &;c. 19 



second misconception of the language of Prof. Buckland is no 

 less remarkable. 



" The new red conglomerate of Exeter is the red sandstone of 

 French mineralogists, or todte liegende of German mineralogists ; 

 it is the first secondary (floetz) sandstone ; that is to say, the 

 sandstone of the carboniferous tract, which is intimately con- 

 nected with secondary porphyry, and hence the latter is called 

 the porphyry of the red sandstone." * But the position of Prof. 

 Buckland is directly the contrary ; namely, that the red conglo- 

 merate of Exeter does not at all belong to the carboniferous 

 series, and is altogether of an origin posterior to it, and hence 

 denominated new. With respect, however, to the real period, to 

 which the red conglomerate in the vicinity of Exeter may more 

 appropriately be referred, should its connexion there with the 

 amygdaloidal trap be ascertained beyond dispute, I confess I 

 should rather side with the opinion of M. von Humboldt ; 

 namely, that both belong to the carboniferous series. But 

 should there be no such decided connexion, it may yet appear 

 that the amygdaloid belongs to the transition tract of that coun- 

 try, and the conglomerate itself to the gypseous or new red sand- 

 stone, that is known to prevail in that part of the kingdom. 



I have more than once found it necessary to show, that 

 English geologists have misunderstood the true import of the 

 older red sandstone group, or rothe todte liegende, of German 

 authors ; and additional evidence of this fact is to be found in 

 the construction put upon these terms throughout the very inte- 

 resting and important work of M. von Humboldt. See in parti- 

 cular the first division of the Terrains Secondares, p. 205, et 

 seq. from which, in addition to preceding extracts, I select only 

 the following : — " It is difficult to assign a general type for the 

 order of the different beds which constitute the great formation 

 of coal, red sandstone, and porphyry (with interposed beds of 

 amygdaloid, greenstone, and limestone). The coal appears 

 most commonly below the red sandstone, and sometimes it is 

 evidently placed either in this rock or in the porphyry. "*j" This 

 last sentence appears more particularly referable to certain parts 

 of Germany, where only a portion of the carboniferous series is 

 displayed, e. g. in Thuringia ; but from such merely local facts 

 no general inference can be drawn. " Sometimes the great 

 deposit of coal is not covered by porphyry and red sandstone ; 

 sometimes it occupies great basins surrounded by hills of red 



• P. 157. " Le nnuveau cnnglomeral rouge (new red conglomerate d'Exeter) est le 

 gres rouge des mineralogistes francois, du luills, liegende dcs mineralogistes AUemands ; 

 e'est le premier gres du terrain secondaire, c'est a dirt le givs du terrain hnuillcr, qui 

 est intirnement lie au porphyre secondaire, appcle pour cela porphyre du gres rouge." 

 See also p. 205. 



+ P. 209. " II est difficile d'assigner un type general a I'ordre dcs diflcrcntes assises 

 qui constituent la grande formation, § 2(i. La houille paroit le plus .souvcnt aii-dcssOU8 

 du gri-8 rouge ; quelquetbis clle est placce evidemment ou dans cctte roche ou dans le 

 porphyre." 



c2 



