BihliograpMcal Notices. 451 



Old Red Sandstone in patches (with AcUanthoides hibernicus in 

 Berwickshire and SigillariaC?) in Iloxburghshire); and some Cambro- 

 Sihirian (Lower Silurian) rocks in the western part of Northumber- 

 land. A very neat little geological map, printed in colours, accom- 

 panies the paper, and shows (as far as a small scale permits) con- 

 siderable improvements in detail, compared with other maps of this 

 part of the north of England. 



For Cumberland and Westmoreland we have Dr. Nicholson's 

 comprehensive memoir above mentioned, in which are noticed the 

 writings of many others, including the results of some of the work 

 of the Geological Survey in the Lake -district, given by Mr. Hughes 

 in 1866, as well as the fruits of Prof. Harkness's persevering and 

 acute examination of the Lake-district and neighbouring region, 

 often in company with the author himself. Some limited traces of 

 Liassic and Triassic strata in Cumberland are briefly noticed. The 

 next lowest beds of the district are the Permian ; and considerable 

 addition to our knowledge of this group has been made by Prof. 

 Harkness, following up Mr. Binney's indications some few years since. 

 Of Carboniferous rocks, there are the Coal-measures of Whitehaven, 

 the sandy beds equivalent to the MUlstone-grit, the Yoredale 

 beds, and the Scar limestone; then succeed the Upper Old Ked 

 Sandstone and the Silurian rocks, comprising equivalents of the 

 Ludlow beds above, and the Coniston grits, Coniston flags, and 

 Coniston limestone in descending order, and, still lower, the green- 

 slates and porphyries, and the Skiddaw slates, which have been 

 freely traversed by granite and other igneous rocks; whilst the 

 whole have been contorted, dislocated, and most extensively de- 

 nuded. These rocks and strata are described in detail ; the fault- 

 ings, so important a feature in the structure of the Lake-district, 

 are dwelt upon, especially in the introduction ; the characters, fea- 

 tures, and effects of the igneous rocks, and the glaciation of some 

 granitic and other masses, are amongst the most important subjects 

 of research. 



In the theoretical views of Dr. Nicholson as to the early conditions 

 and changes of the Lake-district, geologists have much to discuss ; 

 and we think that our author is hasty in putting aside the late 

 W. Hopkins's views of the geometrical relations of the old faults 

 of this region. The correlation of the older palaeozoic beds and fos- 

 sils of Cumbria with those of Cambria wHl perhaps long give rise to 

 vexed questions among palaeontologists, and certainly will not yet 

 bear dogmatic collocations. Little, however, can be done without 

 good conscientious work, such as that of which this pamphlet is the 

 result. There is no rest for the geologist's hammer, except when 

 the pen is recording or revising its discoveries ; so we trust that this 

 essay, at first written as a University thesis, and now published with 

 corrections and additions, will still be amended and enlarged with 

 new work and new results from time to time. It is at present 

 illustrated with several bold sectional diagrams ; these wiU have to 

 be replaced with sections on truer scale and with more accuracy of 

 detail. In the meantime, in its present state, we are sure that 



