40 HISTOET OF THE SCIENCE. 



time by the most distinguished continental geologists, on 

 the law of superposition of the stratified rocks; having 

 discovered that the order of succession of the different 

 groups was never inverted, and that they might be identified 

 at very distant localities by their characteristic fossils. From 

 the period of publishing his Tabular View of the Strata, in 

 1790, he continued his labours, under every difficulty and 

 discouragement. Unaided, unpatronised, almost unnoticed 

 and unknown, he pursued, alone, and on foot, a series of 

 investigations, which terminated in the publication, in 1815, 

 of his Geological Map of JEngland a lasting monument of 

 his genius, industry, and unwearied perseverance ; and to 

 which D'AubuioSon, a distinguished pupil of Werner, paid 

 a just tribute of praise, observing, that " what many cele- 

 brated mineralogists had only accomplished for a small part 

 of Germany, during half a century, had been effected by a 

 single individual for the whole of England." 



The remaining events which mark the history of the 

 science, as regards this country, may be comprised in a 

 brief epitome. The casual assembling of some friends for 

 the transaction of business of scientific import, occasioned 

 the wish for the continuance of meetings which were found 

 to be as instructive as they were delightful, and gave rise to 

 the GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ; an event which, more than any 

 other, has promoted the advance of the science. Warned, 

 by example, of the danger of hasty generalisations, its mem- 

 bers wisely abstained, for a considerable period, from all 

 attempts of this nature ; and Sir C. Lyell has recorded the 

 intention and the eulogy of the society in the same sentence, 

 by declaring the object of its supporters to have been to 

 multiply and record observations, and patiently to await the 

 result at some future period ; while their favourite maxim 

 was, that the time had not yet arrived for a general system 

 of geology, but that all must be content, for many years, to 

 be exclusively engaged in furnishing materials for future 

 generalisations. A resolution so judicious could not fail to 

 produce the most satisfactory results, and the natural con- 

 sequence has been, not merely to rescue geology from the 

 distrust which once attached to it, but to render it the 

 favourite, as it unquestionably is one of the most fascinating, 

 of the natural sciences. 



