188 Dr. BucKLAND on the Secondary/ Formations 



beneath this limestone a few miles further north along the road, and mark at 

 each of these places the outcrop of the decided green-sand beds, dipping as if 

 to a common centre in the interior of the mountain. 



Descending from the northern outcrop of this green-sand towards Sospello 

 and the Col di Tendi, we find, in a regular descending order, the following- 

 series of rocks: — 1. Green-sand; 2. Jura, oolitic, or younger Alpine lime- 

 stone; 3. Lias; 4. Red marl; 5. Older Alpine limestone, strongly dolomitic, 

 and abounding in rauchvvacke, and mixed with enormous beds of gypsum. 

 Nearly the same order of succession is repeated in the calcareous mountain 

 called Brois, between Sospello and Breglio; but I saw no green-sand near 

 the road over this mountain. 



The descent from Brois towards Breglio, affords a section of at least 1500 

 feet in the new red sandstone formation, in which we have the same asso- 

 ciation of masses of gypsum, with various forms of yellow, red, and saccharine 

 dolomite, of rauchvvacke, and zechstein, that characterize the older Al])ine lime- 

 stone, and the new red sandstone formation in the Alps, as well as in Germany 

 and England, Following this section still further towards the primitive chain 

 of Col di Tendi, we find the valley of the Iloya exposing various beds of the 

 new red sandstone formation from Breglio to Saorgio : near this latter place 

 they become more loaded with pebbles, approaching the character of the new 

 red conglomerate or rothe-todte-liegende ; and three miles further north, at the 

 village of II Fontana, we have the junction of this conglomerate with coarse 

 red micaceous beds of grauwacke slate. 



Beyond Fontana, it may be seen by M. Risso's map of the maritime Alps* 

 that only transition and primitive rocks appear along the whole road to the Col 

 di Tendi. 



These sections afford an important sequel to the information which Mr. De la 

 Beche has given respecting the limestone in the immediate vicinity of Nice, 

 and supply details of the strata in the lower regions of this great calcareous 

 deposit, which show them to be the regular continuation, in a descending- 

 series, of the same component members of the new red sandstone formation 

 and older Alpine limestone, which in my paper on the Alpsf, I have stated to 

 maintain a general harmony and uniform order of succession in the Alps of 

 Switzerland and the Tyrol, as well as in Germany and England. 



This conclusion is corroborated by the following opinion of M. Risso. 

 He says;];, ''I consider as the most ancient formation of the secondary epoch, 

 the alpine calk or magnesian limestone, compact, sparkling, of a dark blue 



* Hist. Nat. de VEurope. Mericlio7i(ile, vol. i. t Annals of Philosophy, June 1821. 



X Vol. i, p. 82. 



