Reviews — ZitteVs Century of Geology, etc. 75 



had been produced as chemical or mechanical deposits from a watery 

 solution should have been so firmly maintained and strenuously 

 defended, and that it was only overthrown after a lengthened period 

 of violent controversy. 



But whilst Werner, with a renown akin to that of a prophet, had 

 drawn to himself a school of ardent disciples from all civilized 

 countries, a simple teacher in Scotland, James Hutton, was preparing 

 his work on " The Theory of the Earth," which was destined to 

 exercise a powerful influence on modern geology long after the 

 Neptuuist theory of Werner had exploded. The great merit of 

 Hutton, as the author points out, is that he based his conclusions 

 on inductions from previously observed facts, and explained the 

 phenomena by the action of forces still in operation, so that he had 

 no need to call in the aid of supernatural or imaginary powers. A& 

 is well known, many of Hutton's ideas were more fully expanded 

 by subsequent authors, notably by Sir Charles Lyell, and thereby 

 the credit justly due to him has, in a measure, been attributed 

 to others. 



To the genius of another of our countrymen of this epoch, 

 William Smith, is due the discovery of the leading principle that 

 the succession of the rocks may be known by their included fossils. 

 A sympathetic account of William Smith's work is given by the 

 author, with an able summary of his character in the following 

 terms: — "William Smith was self-educated, a man of rare originality 

 and unusual penetration. Without academic training, without any 

 guidance, without any material support, and at the beginning 

 without even encouragement from his contemporaries, he succeeded 

 by his tenacious perseverance in tracing out the geological structure 

 of England in so clear a manner that subsequent investigation has 

 not made any important change in the groundwork he laid down. 

 Smith limited himself to the practical study of the geology of his 

 native land, and abstained from all general speculations on the 

 origin and history of the earth. On his work, thus wisely limited, 

 rests his greatness, and to it this modest, unselfish, and open-hearted 

 observer owes the well-deserved appellation of Father of English 

 Geology." 



The position occupied by geology in the principal countries of 

 Europe during this heroic period, and the lines of investigation 

 followed by the leaders of the science in each, are passed under 

 review : the various textbooks on geology and geognosy published 

 in this interval are noticed as contrasting favourably by their sober, 

 practical treatment of the subject with the more speculative works of 

 the preceding epoch, and sketches are given of the advances made 

 in the study of petrology and palasoutology. Owing to the great 

 influence of Werner's teaching, which did not take much account of 

 fossils, their study did not take so high a position during this period 

 as that of petrology. The great French anatomist, Cuvier, however, 

 dwelt much on the importance of fossil organisms in the study of 

 the earth's histoi'y in general, and of organic life specially. In the 

 warm eulogium pronounced on him by Von Zittel it is pointed out 



