GEOLOGY 1 



The part which France has played in the long history 

 of geological science is a particularly distinguished one. 

 In the controversial period of rival schools of geology, 

 which preceded that of careful observation, she was 

 fortunate in not being drawn within the charmed circle 

 of the followers of Werner at Freiberg, where the sedi- 

 mentary origin of basalt was proclaimed and hotly 

 defended. It was in France, through the work of 

 GUETTARD and DEMAREST, that this colossal error, which 

 held back for decades the development of the science, 

 was finally overthrown. As regards the other dominant 

 error which characterized eighteenth century geology 

 the elevation crater idea of the Prussian geologist von 

 Buch France was less fortunate, for one of her most 

 brilliant geologists, Elie DE BEAUMONT, fell under the 

 spell of this delusion. 



When, with the dawn of the nineteenth century, geol- 

 ogy developed as an observational science, largely in the 

 fields of stratigraphy and palaeontology, the contribu- 

 tions of French geologists were noteworthy. It is neces- 

 sary only to mention the names of CUVIER, LAMARCK, 

 d'ARCHiAC, d'ORBiGNY, and BRONGNIART, to confirm 

 this statement. CUVIER'S famous "Discours sur les 

 revolutions de la surface du globe et sur les changements 

 qu'elles ont produits dans le regne animal," which ap- 

 peared in 1822, supplies one of the great landmarks in 



1 [Drafting Committee: T. C. CHAMBERLIN, University of Chicago; 

 U. S. GRANT, Northwestern University; W. H. HOBBS, University of 

 Michigan. ED.] 



