—y—" sum, columnar gypsum, and 
Gypsum 
quury of 
Montmar- 
tre. 
686 FRANCE 
Statistics. tervening between each; three parts are siliceous gyp- 
m in thin. beds, con« 
taining skeletons of unknown birds and quadrupeds, 
bones of tortoises, skeletons of fishes, and of mammifere, 
and sometimes fresh water shells, The uppermost parts:of 
the fresh water formation consists of a white calcareous: 
bed, with large siliceous trunks of palm trees; of marl! 
beds calcareous and argillaceous, and of argillaceous and 
calcareous marls, thick without fossils. The marine di- 
vision of the fourth formation consists of* yellow scaly 
marl, two feet thick, with a few shells ; of n potter’s 
earth without fossils; of marl in four or five beds; of 
yellow argillaceous marl with the bones of a fish; of 
marl beds, containing sea bivalve shells; of marl with a 
seam of very large oyster shells ; of whitish marl with- 
out shells ; of marl with several seams of small thin oys- 
ter shells; and of argillaceous sand without shells, 
5. The fifth formation consists of argillaceous strata: 
without organised fossils, and of siliceous freestone and 
sea sand, with numerous shells, of the same. s as 
those which occur in the coarse limestone of the third for. 
mation. 
6. The sixth formation consists of plastic clays ; of 
siliceous limestone, containing burr-stones, but no fos- 
sils; of argillaceous marls, and of freestone without: 
shells. 
7. The seventh formation consists of free stone 
withuut shells ; of loose sand used in the arts, rape vf 
freestone without shells. 
8. The eighth formation consists of kao idiie. 
stone, which decomposes and contains burr-stones ; it’ 
contains four kinds of fresh water shells, and in some parts: 
siliceous wood and vegetables. 
9. The ninth formation is alluvial, in putrid marshy 
vales, containing skeletons of large animals, trees, &c. of 
various kinds. 
10. The last formation consists of alluvial sand on the 
sees of Beauce, to the west and south of the basin of 
aris. 
In the fourth, or gypseous formation, the gypsum quar- 
ry of Montmartre occurs ; it is wrought to the depth of 
about 400 feet ; the strata are about two feet in thick- 
ness, and the lowest are considered the best ; about 200 
feet from the surface is a single stratum of argillaceous 
limestone, which breaks with a conchoidal fracture ; 
above the gypsum is an irregular bed of clay marl, about 
ten feetin depth. It is in this quarry that Cuvier found 
the fossil bones which have excited the attention of na« 
turalists so much. The. gypsum is calcined on the spot 
by a moderate heat, which expels the water of crystalliza- 
tion, and reduces it to. a powder. 
Though somewhat out of place here, we may mention 
other economical products, which are obtained in this 
basin: French burrs, which are used. in making: mill- 
stones, are found in Fontainebleau forest, in the S, S. E. 
district of the. basin; the covering of the siliceous lime~ 
stone, of which the burrs are composed, is: in some. pla- 
ces alluvia, or argillaceous marls; and in) other places: 
free stone without shells. Burrs are also found at 
Trappe, 14 milessouth-west from Paris, with shells suppo- 
sed to be of fresh water origin. At Meudon, six miles 
south-west from Paris, there is a stratum of coloured pot- 
ter’s clay, without fossils covering the chalk, which ex- 
tends in a south-east direction towards Gentilly; there 
are also in these two places, and elsewhere, quarries of 
excellent freestone. At Sevres, seven miles west from 
Paris, ea ec oe bearer: sands : 
and near the ve mass of chalk is cleva- 
ted near 50 above yrs ohm i enigen Livee’ 
highest part of it in the basin of Paris ; the stone is 
sibly inclined towards the river: this the only ‘inclining 
sre i ba a 
e shall conclude our account sin, with an 
enumeration of some of the most remarkable «  re- 
mains which have been found in it: Skeletons o 
birds have been found at Montmartre, in the first, or ups 
per gypsum mass: elephants bones in ‘the alluvium, 
ninth formation: fish, and fish skeletons, at rota 
and several other places; leaves and pers of reams 
changed into silex ‘in the alluvial sand: large ern of 
palm trees converted into silex, in the fourth or gypseous 
formation : skeletons of various quadrupeds are found, 
not only in pe same formation, but also in'the ninth fore - 
mation, or the valley alluvium. Sharks teeth are found: 
in the chalk, or first Rertansibes Tortoise bones at Mont- 
tion, in whigk Fae xives edmanialaae been found. 
Secestanea 
Oysters are found in the chalk strata, in the lower beds - 
of the coarse limestone, tiitiep Sroraroties and all over ant 
gypseous formation. 
Next in importance, in a geological point of vie ab Yas Basaltic 
the basin of Paris, isthe province » of. Auvergne. — 
has been cursorily referred to in mentioning the moun-' “urea 
tains of France; but it deserves more notice’ 
in this place. Proceeding northward from Autillac, 
a vein of chalk in a country Ma it nina nar be 
d, a mountainous tract t extent aie 
itiieorte the basaltic mountains vf ie ov 
vergne, the modern departments © per 
Cantal. The northern part of the chain is st ae ws 
de Dome, and the southern that of Cantal: the Monts 
D’Or form the centre. The chief elevation is that of the 
Puy de Sausi: this enormous assemblage 
vers an extent ofabout 120 miles. It is a most 
and interesting tract, independently of these high moun- 
tains: great part of it is extremely and unimpas 
sable, the whole surface being cov: with blocks of 
granite or basalt. A stratum of basalt scems to have 
covered a large part of this district, the remains of whieh 
are seen on every eminence, forming horizontal crests on 
the same level. There are about 100 cones, besides nu- 
merous longitudinal ridges, all of which are basaltic ; and 
at the base of some of cones, M. D’Aubuisson diss 
covered currents of the same substance. Near St Cha- 
mont some masses of basalt present the appearance of 
columns bent in’an extraordinary manner. Ofte of the 
most celebrated of these cones is called La Tour d'Au- 
vergne. Among the scorie, about three leagues’ from 
Clermont, are the charred remains of many trees. No 
appearance of a crater is to be observed any where. 
Such is a general description of the basaltie district of 
Auvergne; according to some it is of voleanic origin ¥ 
but a chain of volcanoes, such as on this supposition the 
cones would indicate, it has been asserted, Beam be too 
bold even for conjecture. It is foreign to 
of this article to cous this Poe fat y-ned 
fore only observe, that, according to Dolomieu, who ex- 
amined this district very elle the lavas of Italy and 
Auvergne are perfectly : is, however, 
a marked difference in the of the two volcanic - 
fields, In Italy the subordinate hills are disposed in, 
ae 
f 
age of rocks co= 
a 
