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The Silurian System. By R. I. Murchison, Esq. 



F.R.S., F.L.S. 



Vice-President of the Geological Society of London, General Secretary British 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, Member of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy, etc. etc. etc. 



We propose in a series of articles to enter into an ana- 

 lysis of Mr. Murchison's great work on the Silurian System, 

 for the perusal of which we are indebted to the liberality 

 of our friend, and lover of science, Mr. J. W. Grant, C. S. ; for 

 its title alone would be enough to exclude it from all public 

 libraries in this country. For the benefit of the uninitiated, 

 we will first explain, that the author comprehends under the 

 term Silurian* those beds of ancient strata from the Old 

 Red Sandstone down to the Crystalline, or primary rocks. 



But the work is not confined to the investigations of these 

 beds ; before their difference from more recent deposits 

 could be established, it was necessary to enter into an inves- 

 tigation of the latter as a preliminary object. The first 

 views of Mr. Murchison on the subject before us were 

 submitted to the first meeting of the British Association, 

 since which time Mr. Murchison has been constantly en- 

 gaged in following up the inquiry, and extending his ob- 

 servations, so that districts made subject to the investiga- 

 tion consist of the counties of Salop, Hereford, Radnor, 

 Montgomery, Gloucester, Carmarthen, Brecon, Pembroke, 

 Monmouth, Worcester, and Stafford. And as the above 

 counties contain some of our most important repositories of 

 coal, much new information is afforded regarding them, 

 which we shall endeavour to lay before our readers. But 

 as this part of the work alone consists of nearly two hun- 

 dred quarto pages, we shall be able to convey but a faint 

 idea of its value. 



* A geographical term derived from the Silures, whose power extended over 

 the region where these rocks are best displayed, and the name of whose illustrious 

 Chief, Caradoc (Caractacus) has been transmitted to us in a bold range of hills 

 composed of one of the most important formations of the Silurian system. 



