the late Professor Jameson. 17 
disposal. If he knew of any of them that were in occasional 
need, his purse was open to them. His conversation was al- 
ways that of a man of genius, as well as that of a man of kind 
feelings. During whole hours, he would develop the boldest 
and best connected ideas; but it was impossible to make him 
take up his pen. His life was passed either in the elevated 
regions of contemplation, or in philosophical or friendly con- 
versation. 
“T cordially agree with Werner in opinion (says Jameson, 
in a paper written in 1813), that Conchology is a branch of 
Natural History which cannot be sufficiently recommended 
to the attention of all Geognosts, as furnishing important 
means of ascertaining with accuracy many of the leading 
facts in the history of the globe. It is a branch of natural 
history which has been long studied in Germany and France, 
and has of late years, particularly since its importance in 
geognosy has been ascertained and pointed out, made great 
advances. But we naturally enquire, to whom are we in- 
debted for our present highly interesting views of the natu- 
ral history of fossil organic remains in general? It is to 
Werner. More than thirty years ago” [now upwards of 
seventy years] “he first embodied all that was known of 
fossils into a regular system. He insisted on the neces- | 
sity of every geognostical cabinet containing an extensive 
collection not only of shells, but of the various produc- 
tions of the class zoophyta, of plants, particularly of sea 
and marsh plants, and ferns ; and an examination of the re- 
mains of quadrupeds in the great limestone caves in Germany, 
soon pointed out to him the necessity of attaching to the 
geognostical cabinet also one of comparative osteology. As 
his views in geognosy enlarged, he saw more and more the 
value of a close and deep study of fossils. He first made 
the highly important observation, that different formations 
would be discriminated by the organic remains they con- 
tained. It was during the course of his geognostical investi- 
gations that he ascertained the general distribution of or- 
ganic remains in the crust of the earth. He found that 
fossils appeared first in transition rocks.* These are but few 
* Now the Cambrian and Silurian. The learned and elaborate works of 
VOL. LVII. NO. CXI11.—JULY 1854. B 
