

williams] EATON, DOORNIK, VANUXEM. 31 



"If we adopt the European nomenclature, one must treat of this vast 

 territory under the Oolitic Formation." x 



Prof. Eaton regarded this synopsis as expressing accurately " the 

 order of superposition," as well as the definition and geographical locat- 

 ing of the strata named. 2 In the same article he stated that " No one 

 is qualified for examining geological facts, nor for reading essays or 

 systematic treatises on geology, until he has fixed in his mind a system- 

 atic arraugeuient of general strata." 3 And he informed us that Van 

 Kensselaer spent more than $18,000 on the investigations and re- 

 searches which were carried on in connection with his survey of the 

 Erie Canal rocks. 4 



In 1829 there appeared 5 an interesting article by J. E. Doornik on 

 " Observations concerning fossil organic remains," communicated by 

 the author in French, and translated by Charles U. Shepard. The 

 author made some remarks upon M. Cuvier's method of explaining the 

 importance of organic remains for geology. (Cuvier's " Ossemens fos- 

 siles" had been published in 1825.) 



Doornik combats the proposition of Cuvier that " to fossil remains 

 alone is due the origin of the theory of the earth, and that there had 

 been in the formation of the globe successive epochs and a series of 

 different operations," and while combating this proposition he defends 

 Werner as having laid the foundation of geology. 



This article is interesting particularly as showing the progress of 

 science caused by the opposition of the conservatives. Fossils were 

 rapidly taking the place of mineral characters in the correlation of 

 stratified rocks, and the old school (such men as Doornik and Prof. 

 Eaton) strenuously advocated the system of Werner. A quotation is 

 found in this article from Brongniart, which shows how thoroughly he, 

 as a student of fossil botany, appreciated the value of fossils. He 

 wrote as follows : 



I consider, then, those characters relating to the epochs of formations which are 

 taken from orgauic remains as of the first value in geology and as superior to all 

 others, however valuable they may appear. 



Lardner Vanuxem wrote a letter to Prof. Cleveland the same year. 6 

 Among other remarks the following are worthy of quotation : He said 

 that the "Alluvial" of Maclure includes both Tertiary and Secondary, 

 and the different deposits are characterized by their fossils, which are 

 not confused or mixed, but are found at different levels, and this is 

 noticeable in the Southern States particularly. He pointed out an error, 

 which was a generally accepted one, and is traceable to the identifica- 



1 Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 13, p. 361. 

 'Ibid., p. 362. 



'Ibid., p. 359. 

 4 Ibid., note to p. 360. 

 •Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 25, p. 90, etseq. 



6 On the characters and classification of certain American rock formations. Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 16, 

 1829, p. 254. 



