XXVlll PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



SO carefully examined this region, that he not only produced an ex- 

 cellent description of its physical geography, relative heights, and 

 mineral constitution, but also developed the ascending series of 

 sedimentary deposits through each great period. The second part 

 of this work, published in 1836, was accompanied by a general geo- 

 logical map of Poland and the North Carpathians, illustrated by 

 local maps, plans and sections ; and when I state that this general 

 map contains fifty distinct colours or signs, indicating the various 

 sedimentary strata, and seven colours for the eruptive rocks, besides 

 distinct indications of all the mines, 1 may convey some idea, how- 

 ever inadequate, of the indefatigable industry of this author. 



In the publication of this work, M. Pusch had the merit of fully 

 appreciating the dependence of correct geological results on an accu- 

 rate acquaintance with fossils. Not contented with simply employ- 

 ing the old generic names of Schlotheim, which when be was edu- 

 cated were considered to be adequate to the explanation of the age 

 of rocks, he mainly grounded his reasoning and inductions on the 

 principle of " strata identified by their specific fossils ;" and in draw- 

 ing a parallel between the Polish formations and those which had 

 been well-established in other countries, he specially appealed to the 

 geology of England and Wales. It would be unreasonable to ex- 

 pect perfection in a work prepared under the great obstacles to 

 which I have alluded, and which, from there being no German press 

 in Poland, was necessarily printed in another kingdom. But not- 

 withstanding his insulated state, M. Pusch clearly laid down the 

 geological outlines of the kingdom of Poland and the adjacent pro- 

 vinces of Podolia and Gallicia, and instituted numerous comparisons 

 which have stood the test of subsequent inquiries. Thus, for ex- 

 ample, after describing the transition limestone of Podolia, he sug- 

 gested that its overlying red sandstone being older than the carbo- 

 niferous rocks, must be of the age of the Old Red Sandstone of En- 

 gland; and although we are now informed by Sir R. Murchison* 

 that some of the transition limestones which Pusch had compared 

 with the limestone of Sweden are not, like the latter, of Silurian, but 

 of Devonian age, still it is evident that our deceased Associate very 

 nearly reached the truth by the above-mentioned comparison. 



In working out the relations of the secondary rocks, M. Pusch 

 devoted a considerable portion of his time to the description of that 

 enormously thick and widely spread series of sandstone, conglome- 

 rate, shale, and impure limestone, which constitutes the northern and 

 eastern flanks of the Carpathian chain, under the name of '^ Carpa- 

 thian Sandstone," and in this effort he was ably seconded by the 

 Austrian geologist, the late M- Lill von Lilienbach. Indicating its 

 various members upon his map by eight distmct colours and letters, 

 M. Pusch considered the whole group of Carpathian sandstone 

 (though with doubts) to be an intervening mass between the Lias 

 and the cretaceous strata ; or in other words to represent the lower 

 part of the Jurassic rocks, whilst he associated with its upper portion 

 the galiferous deposits of Wielieczka, &c. Now, although most of 

 * Russia and the Ural Mountains, vol. i. p. 39. 



