LOWER SILURIAN FOSSILS. 35 



upon authorities long antiquated, and contrasting 

 with it, in a foot-note, my remark, " Neither fishes 

 nor any higher vertebrata as yet roamed through 

 the marine wilds." The fact is, that this last 

 critic — understood to be a very eminent philo- 

 sopliical writer — was not aware, that of late the 

 lower fossiliferous rocks have been divided into 

 several distinct formations, in the lowest of which, 

 it is fully admitted, there are no vertebrata. More 

 than this still: a body called the Literary and 

 Philosophical Society of Liverpool had brought 

 before them (January, 1845) a set of letters 

 which one of their members had drawn, with 

 reference to my book, from several of the chief 

 geologists of the day. We there find Mr. Lyell 

 stating upon hearsay, that I represented fish be- 

 ginning in the coal, and Mr. Murchison speaking 

 of me as beginning with zoophytes and poh-piaria 

 alone ; statements, I need hardly say, conveying 

 the most erroneous impressions regarding the 

 book. This, however, is not the immediate point. 

 The two gentlemen here named will be allowed 

 to stand in the very first rank as geologists. They 

 are able men, of marvellous industry', and unim- 

 peached zeal for science. These men, never- 

 theless, in the correspondence to which I am 



