1832.1 Progress of European Science. 615 



Kristna rivers, which latter flows through Rastea's, the Nizam's, the Nagpur 

 Rajah's, and the Honorable Company's territories, into the bay of Bengal; in its 

 way hence, it traverses the Kaljcapur Rajah's and Satarah Rajah's territory, and 

 the states of the Putwardhans and other numerous jaghirs, independent of Go- 

 vernment. 



" The existence of these extensive beds of marble has hitherto been equally un- 

 known and despised : as the several varieties are very hard, they are little sought 

 after for building purposes, and I have scarcely met with twenty houses plastered, 

 or even built with lime — to which at least it might be supposed the natives 

 would have applied it where the marble abounds." 



The existence of the slate, although but little worked, seems to have long since 

 been pointed out by Mr. Thomas Marshall, Statistical Reporter to the Bombay Go- 

 vernment, from whose report, dated Dharwar, 29th July, 1821, we take the folow- 

 ing extract. 



" The next most general rock is a bluish clay slate, which however never assumes 

 the elevation of hills, but is seen to traverse a great part of the country on both 

 sides of the Gatparba, in the direction of W. by N. and E by S. Its layers are 

 almost exactly perpendicular to the surface of the earth. It plainly dips under 

 the sand-stone hills — one of its softest quarries, near Kundargi, supplies the sur- 

 rounding country with whet-stones; but they are of a very inferior quality. It is 

 not uncommon for a few layers of this clay slate to pass suddenly into semi-trans- 

 parent greyish-white felspar, which in a few yards resumes the colour and texture 

 of the slate. Throughout, this slate is traversed by numerous most irregular 

 veins, which have the appearance of having once been a liquid matter poured into 

 transverse and curvilinear fissures, which run in all directions. The matter filling the 

 veins seems a mixture of quartz and clay, and is much harder than the substance 

 of the slate; very beautiful crystals of quartz are frequently found in it." 



X. — Progress of European Science. 

 Theoretical Geology. 

 Following up the design proposed in our notice, of the progress of Electrical 

 Science, we seek the most concise, comprehensive, and authentic materials for our 

 present review, in the annual addresses of the presidents of the Geological Society. 

 These do not merely embrace the practical labours of the associates of the Society 

 itself at home and abroad, in their examination of the earth's surface, the description 

 of rocks, the order of strata, and the classification of the fossils of every forma- 

 tion ; but they at the same time deliver what we may consider an orthodox judgment 

 ex cathedrd, upon the various theories which the most eminent authors of the day 

 have promulgated to the world: such, in the present period, are — the remarks of 

 Herschel upon the influence of Planetary perturbation on Geological phenomena ; — 

 LyelPs estimate of the effect of causes still in action, upon the past modifications 

 of the earth's crust, and Elie de Beaumont's theory of the contemporaneous up- 

 heaving of parallel mountain ranges ; — the temperature of the globe ; — the connec- 

 tion of thermal springs with volcanic action ; — the gradual transition of fossil 

 species, and a multitude of other questions of the greatest interest to the geologi- 

 cal theorist. Thus Geology has almost ceased to be the science of observation 

 alone, as it was so long its boast to be called ; and it now challenges a share in the 

 physical speculations of the astronomer, the dynamical calculations of the mecani- 

 cian, and the primeval chronology of the cosinogonist and historian. Upon the 



