952 Dr. J. We Webster on St? Michael 
work. It has attained a part of the object for which it was 
instituted, a very extensive collection of specimens in all the 
branches of Natural History. ‘The Society has lately been 
meorporated. It has labored chiefly in silence, but has 
accomplished much. The only publication which  hassap- 
: peared under its auspices, as we believe, is 2 vada res- 
pecting the Sea Serpent. 
This work on St. Michael, professes to be a communica- 
tion tothe same Society. We have perused it with much 
_ pleasure and satisfaction, and we hope that Dr. Werstes’s 
example may excite others to similar efforts. 
In the preface, Dr. Webster observes that: ‘ it is not a 
lite remarkable that a group of islands, situated’ as. the 
Azores are, within eight hundred miles-of the shores of 
Europe, should not Tave commanded ‘the attention of 
naturalists, nor have induced some one to undertake anex- 
~ cursion to them for the purpose of investigating their geo- 
logical structure. The only notices we have of them, are 
brief, tending to excite the curiosity, rather than affording 
much positive information respecting them.” In.1813, a 
work entitled a ‘ History of the Azores was published in 
England, which Dr. Webster observes; is said to have been 
- written by the well known Ashe; a review of this appeared 
in the Quarterly’ Review for 1814, from which and from 
Dr. Webster’s account of the islands it wor to be highly 
incorrect, and indeed almost utterly false..: ; 
Dr. Webster adds as\ so few atninlitch in) ‘the’ a. 
ted States have enjoyed the opportunity of examining yol- 
canic’ formations, it was thought that a tolerably ‘minute 
“ deseription of all the geological appearances: ‘observed 
~ ‘would be interesting to them ; the whole of the. original 
“communication has. therefore been retained.. 1 have, the 
author remarks, thought it would be useful to point out 
. the rocks of some well known European ‘localities, which 
-many-specimens from St. Michael. resemble. A’ refer- 
~encé to American — localities. would. have. been ,prefera- 
_. ble, but [ have met with no rocks in this country analo- 
gous to those described in this work. It has indeed Been 
-* Said that basalt occurs in the United. States, but,,the 
rocks which have been thus called, are widely different from 
é IV yd bersetexe Jc iinae sate : ; vod 
