Remarks on Professor Eulori's Communication. 153 



any of those are destitute of vegetable reliquiae, they cannot 

 belong to Mr. Eaton's primary alluvion, since " there are no 

 trunks of trees nor other vegetable remains embraced in it nor 

 under it.'' We have now descended as far as the chalk strata, 

 and although no vegetables are mentioned as occurring in the 

 green sand or weald clay, yet in the iron sand beneath these, 

 are found ferns and charred wood ; so that these also belong 

 to his secondary alluvion. If it be necessary to descend still 

 lower, the same remark will apply to the whole of the oolitic 

 series, since in their lowest part are found ferns, flags, and 

 mosses. Below the oohtes, are no unconsolidated beds ; and 

 hence, if we do not mistake, Mr. Eaton's primary alluvion is 

 not to be found. 



We have made these remarks upon this gentleman's attempt 

 to make a tenable division of alluvium, not from a wish to 

 disparage his efforts. But as we were compelled frankly to 

 acknowledge that we did not see the utility of his distinctions, 

 we felt bound to give the reasons of that opinion. Whether 

 they are conclusive we leave our readers to judge. 



We heartily join Mr. Eaton in his caution to geologists to 

 pause before they adopt any important innovations in their 

 science. "The late introduction of a new chemical nomen- 

 clature," says Dr. MacCuUoch to the Geological Society, 

 "" has possibly, in conjuction with other causes, excited a 

 taste for neology, which it behooves us to restrain by every 

 method in our power, and it is the duty of our Society to 

 watch over and protect the science from those changes which 

 will, if not restrained, shortly inundate us with fas many 

 names as we have writers.'' 



Our readers, however, must not suppose that Conybeare 

 and Phillips, in the work under consideration, have multi- 

 plied new names. With the single exception of their using 

 inferior, submedial, medial, supermedial, and superior, for 

 primitive, transition, &;c. they have been remarkably cautious 

 in coining new terms. Well understood as the English rocks 

 are, these writers are so fearful of multiplying synonymes, 

 that they prefer using such uncouth names for their rocks, 

 as coral rag, bagshot sand, Kimmeridge clay, &tc. rather than 

 attempt to form more scientific designations. 



To conclude : friendly as we are to Mr. Conybeare's new 

 classification, we suspect we do not feel its adoption or rejec- 

 tion to be a matter of so much importance as it appears to 

 Mr. Eaton. Had we been writing a review of Dr. MacCul- 



VoL. IX.— No. 1. 20 



