Professor Haughton's Geology. 201 



for everything, which often charms his rapidly generalizing 

 countrymen, tells us, according to Mr. Haughton's translation, 

 " that the first and second layers of the globe are composed of 

 totally different materials. The outer layer, which he calls the 

 Acid Magma, corresponds with the granites ; and the inner, or 

 second layer, which he calls the Basic Magma, corresponds 

 with the trap rocks and greenstones/' If the various com- 

 ponents of granites are lumped together, it appears that they 

 contain about 71 per cent, of silica, while the rocks belonging 

 to the so-called Basic Magma series contain about 51 per cent.; 

 the quantity of oxygen in the two cases is represented by the 

 figures 48'22 and 43'60 respectively. We do not deny that 

 M. Durocher has something to say in favour of his supposition, 

 that under the hardened crust of the globe are his two fluid 

 magmas ; but it seems to us rash in Professor Haughton to 

 exclaim, " we adopt then, as chemical geologists, Durocher's 

 hypothesis as to the first and second layers of the globe." 

 M. Durocher writes on the proceedings of his magmas with 

 all the confidence of an eye-witness who was comfortably 

 situated so as to watch the condensation of nebulous matter, 

 and its assumption of terrestrial form. He says, according to 

 Mr. Haughton's translation of his paper, " the first pellicle 

 that solidified on the surface of the yet incandescent globe was 

 evidently formed by the uppermost layer, the lightest and the 

 most fusible ; thence resulted the primitive granite." How do 

 we know anything about the first pellicle of our globe ? Who 

 has an authentic bit of it, and where is it to be found ? In his 

 text, Professor Haughton appears to tell us where to find it ; 

 but in a more cautious appendix he leaves us quite at sea. The 

 text of the Manual says, " as the globe cooled, we know that 

 fissures formed in it, evidence of which fissures still remains in 

 our mountain chains and metallic lodes." 



Now is there a particle of proof that the fissures in the 

 terrestrial surface which now appear, were made in the earliest 

 days of the earth's existence as a solidifying planet? Professor 

 Haughton apparently saw the doubt that must arise in most 

 minds against M. Durocher's assumptions, and accordingly in 

 Appendix B he says, that although he has adopted in the text 

 Durocher's theory of the granitic and trappean magmas, yet 

 he does not believe that "any trace of these primitive 

 magmas can be found." But if no trace exists of the first 

 portion of solidified magma, how can the fissures thereof re- 

 main unto this day ? We can understand a cracked plate ; 

 but we should be surprised to see the ' e fissures" after all trace 

 of the plate had disappeared. It is evident that in this case 

 Professor Haughton shows to better advantage in his appendix 

 than in his text, and if he had gone a little further, suppressed 



