2 The Past and Present Aspects of Geology. 
Geological Time became at last familiar to the minds of Geologists. 
By means of these two ideas combined, men were able to discern 
the local succession of strata. We thus arrive at the first epoch of 
Systematic Geology—the beginning of the period of Werner and 
William Smith. At that time the characters considered distinctive 
of strata were mineralogical and stratigraphical, as the terms grau- 
wacké, floetz-rocks, &c., indicate: organic remains being regarded as 
subsidiary, or more or less accidental, and usually called ‘ Extraneous 
Fossils,’ a term that now has a widely different meaning, and to 
which William Smith was even then giving a new aspect, by showing 
the essential value to Geology of the objects included under it. 
The close of this period was characterized in a far different manner, 
having been fruitful in controversy respecting the Wernerian and 
Huttonian hypotheses, as well as in philosophical discoveries and 
opinions, some of which have immortalized the name of the Father 
of English Geology (William Smith); while others have invested 
that of De Lue with a light that will not be extinguished. 
Thus we may close the first era in the History of Geology—long 
in duration, and divided into a few great periods, in each of which 
the followers of our Science were occupied in discussing and esta~ 
blishing, one by one, some three or four propositions, which together 
now form the basis of our present knowledge. We have seen that 
the first great fact which was established—the organic nature of 
fossils—led immediately to the acceptance of the idea of Geological 
Change; this was succeeded by the rejection of the deluvial dogma, 
a conclusion which gave birth to the notion of Geological Time. 
The latter step was quickly followed by the detection of the local 
sequence of phenomena in different districts; and this, aided by 
William Smith’s discovery, that strata could be identified by organte 
remains, led to the formation of a Systematic Geology, which, how- 
ever, was at the time thrown into the background by the fierce 
controversy between the Wernerians and the Huttonians; but the 
Idea of Contemporaneity involved in that discovery survived the 
gloom, and shone forth all the brighter for its temporary obscurity. 
We now come to a different stage in the History of Geology, 
which may be termed the Descriptive Period, and which was inau- 
gurated by the formation of the Geological Society, and indeed 
chiefly caused by it. This stage is nearly coincident with the period 
over which the publication of the First Series of the Transactions of 
that Society extended; and is characterized by the absence of all 
attempts at theorizing, the necessary reaction consequent on the pre- 
valence of hypothesis in the period that went immediately before it. 
This was succeeded by the Second Classificatory Stage, coinciding 
in duration, roughly, with that over which the publication of the 
Seeond Series of the Transactions of the Geological Society extend, 
and which differs from the former Classificatory Stage chiefly in the 
fact that, while that was Mineralogical in character, this was 
Paleontological, or occupied with Fossils. But in this period we 
have also a revival of Theory, for, as Dr. Whewell has remarked, 
‘conjectures and reasonings respecting the causes of the phenomena 
