412 Professor Sedgwick and Mr. Murchison on the 



ous action. On this subject, indeed, all controversy seems now to be at an 

 end among practical geologists. 



We have repeatedly mentioned phenomena which appeared to harmonize 

 with the theory of M. Elie de Beaumont respecting the recent elevation of 

 (he principal chain of the Alps ; we have also stated, that the eastern ex- 

 tremity of the chain has not been subjected to the same movement; inasmuch 

 as there all the tertiary deposits rest horizontally on the edges of the older 

 inclined strata. All the western and central portions of the chain described 

 in this paper seem to have partaken of the movements which elevated Mont 

 Blanc, and were propagated along the principal chain of the Alps, in a direc- 

 tion about E.N.E., after the deposition of the inolasse and other recent, ter- 

 tiary groups. But tlie eastern extremity of the chain seems to be connected 

 with the Pyreneo-Apennine system of M. de Beaumont, which was elevated 

 after the deposit, both of the highest portions of the cretaceous system, and 

 of all those peculiar groups which we consider intermediate between the 

 secondary and tertiary series. The high inclination of the molasse, &c. on 

 the north (lank of the Bavarian Alps*, the direction of the great breaks and 

 fissures in the valley of the Allgauj, the position of the great, erratic blocks 

 noticed in the preceding chapter, and the horizontal position of the tertiary 

 deposits of the Vienna and Styrian basins, all seem to harmonize with this 

 theory. 



If these views be correct, a double system of breaks and dislocations (con- 

 nected with two distinct periods of elevation) must intersect each other some- 

 where in the line of the Eastern Alps ; and by such a supposition the appa- 

 rently anomalous position of certain groups of strata within the regions above 

 described may be, perhaps, hereafter ex])lained. 



The overlying horizontal conglomerates noticed in some of the preceding 

 sections:};, seem to throw some difficulties in the way of this theory, unless, 

 indeed, we can connect them with a part of the horizontal system of the 

 Vienna basin, which, on such a supposition, must extend much further up the 

 Danube than we have hitherto supposed. We wish not to incumber this part 

 of our subject with hypotheses, as our observations were too few and too dis- 

 jointed to be of much value in establishing any particular theory ; but we 

 think ourselves justified in drawing the following conclusions from facts 

 ah'eady stated. 



1. The old transition rocks of some portions of the Eastern Alps were con- 

 solidated and placed in a nearly vertical position before the existence of the 



* .S'wprrt, p. 326, &c. . f Supra, p. 335. % P'ate XXXVI. ilg. 6, 9, &c. 



