Observations Concerning Fossil Organic Remains. 91 



principal branches of Geology : one of the best established 

 means in the explanation of the most important phenomena 

 connected with the natural history of our earth. It is, there- 

 fore of the utmost importance that we should be familiar 

 with the whole series of organic remains, before we form 

 our ideas upon the subject in its full extent, and before we 

 allow ourselves to undertake an explanation of the apparent 

 labyrinth. 



Notwithstanding my conviction of the great utility of a 

 thorough knowledge of organic remains, as connected with 

 the genera and species to which they belong; the various lo- 

 calities where they are found, and the situations which they 

 occupy in the different strata — belonging to epochs so remote : 

 still, I cannot subscribe to the views of M. Cuvier, when he 

 speaks of the high importance of organic remains. 



" Why — do we not perceive, that to fossil remains alone, is 

 •due the origin of the theory of the earth ; and, that without 

 them, we should possibly have never dreamed, that there 

 had been in the formation of the globe, successive epochs, 

 and a series of different operations .^" 



This is, truly, a position which allows of infinitely more 

 in its principles than could have been granted by any lo- 

 gical deduction. If it is solely to fossil remains that the 

 origin of the theory of the earth is due, then every other 

 consideration for such a theory is excluded. According to 

 the position of M. Cuvier, there exists but one cause from 

 which the theory of the earth has taken its origin ; and that 

 is, the study of fossil bones. 



Such a position it seems to me proves too much, and there- 

 fore nothing, decidedly. 



After having read and meditated much upon it, I take the 

 liberty to ask M. Cuvier if the knowledge we possess concern- 

 ing the various rock formations, — the manifest differences in 

 their constituent parts ; in the succession, alternation and reg- 

 ular recurrence of their strata ; that relating also, to the obvi- 

 ous order which reigns in the superposition of rocks, and the 

 striking instances of conformity, of indentity, of equivalence 

 and parallelism in these superpositions, — proved by the re- 

 searches of the most able geologists, and found true in coun- 

 tries the most remote from each other : I would ask, if such 

 knowledge is not sufficient to afford some positive data in a 

 theory of the earth — and whether we should not add to it 

 whatever may be derived from the study of fossil remains. 



