Dr. Daubeny on the Geology of Sicily. 23% 
The geology of Sicily may, for convenience sake, be di- 
vided into three parts, corresponding nearly with the three 
sides of the triangle which represents the figure of the island. 
The first division will comprehend the rocks from Messina, 
(or rather from Taormina,) to Trepani, thus taking in the 
whole of the northern coast, and a small portion of the 
eastern. 
They will be found to consist chiefly of the primitive, 
transition, and older secondary strata ; the most recent forma- 
tion, in this part of the island, being the limestone of Palermo 
and Trepani, which perhaps corresponds with the magnesian 
limestone of this country. 
The second division embraces the rocks that occur near 
ihe western coast, from ‘Trepani to Cape Passero, the most 
southern point of the island, and consists chiefly of a series 
of formations which I am inclined to refer to the most recent 
epoch in the history of our planet, namely, that posterior to 
the formation of the chalk. 
The third division, which takes in the line of coast on the 
east, from Cape Passero to Taormina, exhibits indications of 
volcanic action, occurring at very different epochs, from the 
lavas which flowed during the period at which the tertiary 
beds were in the act of being deposited, to the comparatively 
recent eruptions that have taken place from Mount Etna. 
The physical structure of the more central portions of the 
island need not be entered into at present, as it will be de- 
scribed in the course of this paper, and may be collected 
sufficiently for our present purpose, by an inspection of the 
accompanying map. 
The plan, then, according to which I propose to consider 
the subject, whilst it corresponds with one of the usual routes 
adopted by travellers, has the advantage of following the 
natural order of succession in which the rocks should be con- 
sidered. 
Let us commence, then, with the neighbourhood of Messi- 
na, the only part of the island in which rocks of a granitic 
character occur. 
Ferrara, indeed, in his Account of Sicily, lays them down 
as consisting of true granite ; and my observations here were 
far too cursory to justify my contradicting him. 
I may however remark, that, in the places which I examin- 
ed, the rock seemed to have the characters of Gneiss; and 
this is the formation which probably extends on the Italian 
