Proceedings of the British Association. 353 



the disposition of organic remains may hold true for a certain extent 

 of the earth's surface, we have no right to consider sucii a disposi- 

 tion universal. — Mr. Sedgwick remarked, that he could with certainty 

 distinguish four calcareous zones in North Devon — viz. one at Linton, 

 a second at Ilfracombe, and two others at Barnstaple. The differ- 

 ence of the limestones of South Devon was also very remarkable ; that 

 of Plymouth being essentially distinct from that of Dartmoor. These 

 carbonaceous strata also extended several miles into Cornwall. — Mr. 

 Conybeare considered that the public had exaggerated the difference 

 of opinion then before the meeting. He was rather inclined to co- 

 incide with Messrs, Sedgwick and Murchison in considering the 

 strata in dispute as referable to the general carboniferous system, 

 and from the general resemblance of the formations to those of Pem- 

 brokeshire, the probability vi^as much strengthened. — Prof. Phillips 

 conceived that it had been satisfactorily proved, that there existed a 

 coal basin in the interior of Devonshire, although, at first sight, from 

 the unprofitable nature of the contained coal, being the kind called 

 Gulm, some hesitation might have taken place as to assigning it its 

 true position. But doubts must vanish on inspecting the organic re- 

 mains : and here he might observe, that it was a mistake to suppose 

 that Dr. Smith, the founder of English geology, had ever intended 

 to limit the range of these remains as some had accused him of. 

 We might readily assume, and observation has confirmed, that some 

 organic remains of one stratum may be found in contiguous strata, 

 associated with fossils of different kinds, so that organic remains alone 

 are insuflicient to point out distinctions in strata. But the general 

 appearance of the limestones of Devon was precisely similar to those 

 of the north of England, in regard both of mineral character and 

 imbedded fossils. From their appearance, he had expected their 

 interstratification with shales, and Mr. Murchison had confirmed this 

 supposition. The Devon limestone corresponded indeed with the 

 upper bed of the Yorkshire limestone; in the former he had de- 

 tected a shell, a species of Anodon, which he had not observed in 

 the latter ; but the species of Posidonia found in both exactly cor- 

 respond. Perhaps one cause of mistake might have been the little 

 attention paid to the black limestone of Craven, by Mr. Conybeare, 

 and to this limestone there was a most striking resemblance in the 

 black variety of Devonshire. He alluded to the extraordinary ano- 

 maly of coal plants having been found in the Alps, associated with 

 oolites, but this might be an exception from the general law, and 

 Vol. XXXL— No. 2. 45 



