196 



CALCAREOUS BRECCIA CONTAINING BONES. 



metis. 



without much trouble I separated with my hammers from 

 these cavities, the sides of which were already shaken by the 

 explosion of the mine, the fine specimens I brought away, 

 and which I take great pleasure in sending to you for your 

 examination. 



J WO!; P rcl " In the large specimen, and in the small one which was 



broken off afterward, may be distinguished ahead; a pretty 

 large rib, the spongy texture of which is converted into 

 earth ; and other bones, that appear to have .belonged to 

 small quadrupeds. The leg, thigh, and foot bones, and 

 other bony parts, observed in other places, appear to be 

 those of birds ; and lastly in other specimens are portions of 

 shells, that I believe to be of the helix genus. 



A simi'ar This earth, or calcareous breccia, having led me to va- 



rious reflections, I would willingly add to the circumstances 



sone found at 

 Gibral 



Cette, and I have related important details, to which its discovery 

 leads; but it would swell ray letter too much, to trace the 

 causes that have produced these interesting facts. I shall' 

 only say, that a similar earth has been found at four different 

 points of Europe, Gibraltar, Cette, Nice, and Corsica: and 

 as these four points, compared with all Europe, may be 

 considered as one, I conceive, that the discovery of this 

 earth in Corsica not only indicates this island as the point, 

 to which the eye of him who would observe the grand revo- 

 lutions, that everything announces to have existed, should 

 be turned ; but also becomes a fertile source of luminous 

 ideas respecting those great catastrophes, that have taken 

 place at a very remote period in this part of the Mediterra- 

 nean. Time, and tours undertaken and pursued without 

 interruption, can alone acquaint us with the extraordinary 

 events, some proofs of which have already been found by en- 

 lightened men. 



Mr. Cuvier's Answer io Mr. Rampasse. 



The bones be- I have been greatly interested, sir, by the observations 

 hus S Ia£omys. e " , y oli ^ ve c0mmu nie/ated to me respecting the bony breccia 

 of Corsica, and have examined with the greatest care the 

 bone? they contain. Among them is ahead well charac- 

 terized. 



