ORGANIC LAWS ORGANIC REMAINS 



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tones. In Paris, some time ago, an organ was built 

 of playing cards. We have seen an instrument with 

 a key-board like that of an organ, the tones of which, 

 however, were produced by the friction of wood ; and 

 the newspapers lately announced the invention of an 

 instrument which produces agreeable sounds by the 

 striking together of flints, made by M. Backstein of 

 Cassel, who calls this instrument saxamelodicon. 



The hand or barrel organs consist of a movable, 

 turning cylinder, called a barrel, on which, by means 

 of wires, pins, and staples, are set the tunes it is in- 

 tended to perform. These pins and staples, by the 

 revolution of the barrel, act upon the keys within, 

 and give admission to the wind from the bellows to 

 the pipes. The hand-organ is generally portable, 

 and so contrived that the same action of the hand 

 which turns the barrel, gives motion to the bellows. 

 For water-organ, see Hydraulicon. 



ORGANIC LAWS is the name given in France, 

 and also in Germany, to such laws as directly affect 

 the fundamental political organization of a country. 

 Thus the law which changed the provisions in the 

 constitution of the United States respecting the 

 election of the president and vice-president (see 

 Election), would be called by the French an organic 

 law ; and thus the senatus consulta, which declared 

 Bonaparte consul for life, and afterwards emperor, 

 were called organic senatus-consulta. However, the 

 French apply this term not only to those laws, which, 

 at least in many cases, would be called by us reforms 

 of the constitution, but also to every law which, as 

 the Encyclopedic Moderne expresses it, is the appli- 

 cation of the theory contained in the fundamental 

 law as charter. The words are these : La loifonda- 

 mentale quel que soit son nom, n'est qu'une proclama- 

 tion de principes. Les lois organiques sont I' 'applica- 

 tion de cette theorie. Le principe est dans la charte, 

 la garantie dans la loi organique. The fundamental 

 law, however called, is but a proclamation of prin- 

 ciples. Organic laws are the application of this 

 theory. The principle is in the charter, the applica- 

 tion in the organic law. 



ORGANIC REMAINS; those animal and vege- 

 table substances which are contained in rocky strata, 

 or found loose in the earth. The study of them has 

 sometimes been denominated oryctology. Xenopha- 

 nes, more than 400 years before Christ, was led to 

 the belief of the eternity of the universe, by discover- 

 ing the remains of different marine animals imbedded 

 in rocks and under the surface of the earth. Hero- 

 dotus ascertained the existence of fossil shells in the 

 mountains of Egypt, and was thereby induced to be- 

 lieve that the sea must have once covered those 

 parts. In the pyramids of Egypt, mentioned by this 

 author, and which were built at so early a period 

 that no satisfactory accounts could be derived from 

 tradition concerning them, the stones were found to 

 contain the remains of marine animals, and parti- 

 cularly of such as exist no longer in a recent state, 

 and differ essentially from all known animals. These 

 were supposed by Strabo, who saw the fragments of 

 these stones lying around the pyramids, to be the 

 petrified remains of the lentils which had been used 

 for food by the workmen. In the works of Pliny 

 many fossil bodies are mentioned, particularly the 

 bucardia, resembling an ox's heart, but which was, 

 doubtless, a cast formed in a bivalve shell ; glosso- 

 petra, bearing the form of a tongue, and supposed 

 to fall from the moon when in its wane; hammites, 

 resembling the spawn of a fish ; horns of ammon, 

 resembling in form the ram's horn ; lepidotes, like 

 the scales of fishes ; meionites, bearing a resem- 

 blance to the seeds of the poppy; brontiae, looking 

 like the head of a tortoise ; spongites, which resem- 

 bled sponges ; and phycites, sea weeds and rushes. 



Modern investigations have brought tl eise remains to 

 light, as existing in the greatest variety of forms, in 

 immense quantity, and with the widest possible dis- 

 tribution. The lowest and most level parts of the 

 earth, when penetrated to a very great depth, exhibit 

 strata containing innumerable marine productions. 

 Similar formations compose hills, and even moun- 

 tains, in which the shells are so numerous as to consti- 

 tute the main body of the rock ; and they are often in 

 such a perfect state of preservation, that the smallest 

 of them retain their most delicate processes ; even 

 the colours which decorated their external surface are 

 found nearly in their original beauty; and, in innumer- 

 able instances, shells have been discovered, exhibiting 

 all those tints and reflections, which are common to the 

 pearlaceous species. Every part of the globe, of any 

 considerable extent, presents the same phenomenon ; 

 and, what is at length perfectly established respect- 

 ing these productions, they differ in specific, and 

 often in generic resemblances, from the shells of the 

 present day, and the differences between the extinct 

 and living shells increase in proportion as we de-- 

 scend through the successive series of deposits that 

 overspread the surface of the earth. 



But it was reserved to Cuvier, the greatest of com- 

 parative anatomists, to throw a clear light over these 

 interesting remains; who, by much time and high 

 talent devoted to the investigation, fully illustrated 

 their organization, and the place which they naturally 

 occupied in the scale of being. That great adept, on 

 investigating this obscure subject, clearly demonstrat- 

 ed, that from the character of a single limb, and even 

 a tooth or bone, the form, proportions, and articulation 

 of the other bones, and stature of the whole animal, 

 may be inferred. This general law holds good among 

 existing animals; and from the bones, an expert ana- 

 tomist may not only decide the general form of an 

 entire fossil skeleton, but also the character of the 

 muscles by which it was invested, and by which every 

 bone was moved ; and even the habits, haunts, food, 

 and general mode of life of those beings which existed 

 on the earth's surface and in its waters, prior to the 

 creation of man. 



" Concurrent with this rapid extension of our know- 

 ledge of the comparative anatomy," says Buckland, 

 " of the ancient inhabitants of the earth, has been 

 the attention paid to fossil conchology, a subject of 

 vast importance in investigating the records of the 

 changes that have occurred upon our globe." 



And no less necessary is a knowledge of the plants 

 and vegetation which coexisted with these ancient 

 animals. This kingdom of nature has, however, till 

 lately, been greatly neglected. Brongniart has done 

 much towards forwarding this interesting topic ; and 

 the present investigations of professor Linley, and 

 other expert botanists, are likely to establish correct 

 data respecting fossil vegetables. Mr William Nicol 

 of Edinburgh, has lately made some admirable dis- 

 coveries on the structure of fossil trees, of which he 

 has produced some fine sections, and by comparing 

 them with recent woods, has completely identified 

 their structure, and been able to place each fossil in 

 its true position in the vegetable kingdom. A full 

 account of these discoveries is to be round in With- 

 am's work on The internal structure of Fossil 

 Vegetables. 



Since, the commencement of the present century, 

 very great progress has been made in modern geo- 

 graphy, which may be traced to the more precise 

 knowledge of Organic Remains ; for we find certain 

 families of animals pervading strata of every age, 

 and possessing the same generic forms, which are to 

 be found among existing animals. There are, how- 

 ever, other families, both animal and vegetable, 

 wltich are confined to particular formations, where 



