Devon and Corfi'wall, Belgium, the Eifel, Sfc. 39 1 



geologists as t^ it being referable to the carboniferous lime- 

 stone. I may here remark also, that it contains among its 

 upper beds one or two seams of coal. It exhibits many 

 fossils that are common to the carboniferous limestone of the 

 British isles; but in it are found also some species which 

 occur in the Silurian system and other transition regions, 

 namely, Calymeyie macrophthalma, Ortlioce.ras striatum, Tere- 

 bratula laciino&a, CyathophyUum turhinatum, Cyathophyllum 

 ccEspitosum ; besides one fossil, which is a native of the trans- 

 ition districts of Normandy, Brittany, and Anjou, namely, 

 the Calymene Tristani. The only Goniatite noticed in this 

 carboniferous limestone is Gon. sphccricus ; but in the lower 

 part of the succeeding coal formation there occur also G072. 

 Listeri, Gon. Diadema, and Gou. atratiis--'. 



Even this brief review may be sufficient to show that there 

 is but little analogy between the three lower systems of the an- 

 thraciferous tract m Belgium and the formations of the Silurian 

 system, to which they have been assimilated ; that is judging by 

 the organic remains hitherto elicited from the former as com- 

 pared with the latter. What other fossils may be discovered by 

 the extended researches of M. Dumont and others remains 

 to be seen. At present the author appears to be fully justi- 

 fied in his remark, that "though the English divisions esta- 

 blished by Mr. Murchison are very good for England, as 

 being founded on the existence of fossils which appear to be 

 different in each of them; yet these divisions must present 

 palgeontological differences more or less remarkable in other 

 countries, and that this is in fact what takes place in Belgium : 

 and he therefore proposes to draw the attention of the Royal 

 Academy of Brussels to this subject at a future period ■]"•" 

 With such an admission, would not the term Belgian have been 

 more appropriate than that of Silurian, as applied to these 

 formations? Premature approximations tend rather to re- 

 tard than promote the advance of science. It has been well 

 observed by a profound judge, that, " as we must be careful 

 not to apply our domestic types vvithout modification to other 

 regions, so we must take care not to despair of modifying our 

 scheme, so that it shall be more extensively applicable than 

 it at first appeared to be t." It will be well for geologists to 

 bear this reflection in mind. Much, I apprehend, remains 

 yet to be accomplished, before anything like a definite order 



* See the works of MM. Dumont and Beyrich already quoted, 

 t Bulletin de F Academie Royale des Sciences a Bruxelles, November 

 1838, and Lend, and Edinb. Phil. Mag., August 1839. 



\ Proceedings of Geo). Soc, Address of the Rev. W. Whewell, as Presi- 

 dent, February 1839. [Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. vol. xiv., p. 450.] 



