Feather stonhaugh^s Geological Report. 11 



will have to supply the demand which will soon arise for geo- 

 logical investigations ; but many of them will come forward 

 with attainments variously acquired, and with opinions and 

 prejudices that will be discordant with the views entertained 

 by others. Nomenclatures have been offered for the geolo- 

 gical strata of this country, which have little or no affinity for 

 those established by the most experienced geologists, and 

 which, if not discouraged, would throw much confusion into 

 the study of the science ; for geology is the science of nature, 

 and not of any particular country, and apart from the positive 

 advantages derived from the use of simple terms, universally 

 received, it is one of the blessings of science successfully 

 pursued, and often the only reward of those who devote 

 themselves to it, that, establishing a universal harmony of in- 

 tellect, it inspires mutual benevolence in minds separated by 

 immense distances, and unites them all in the noble object of 

 advancing the best interests of mankind. 



In closing these preliminary observations, I must in justice 

 to myself remark that, from the necessity of the case, the 

 reports which it has hitherto been my duty to draw up, could 

 not, however I might have been disposed to comply with the 

 wishes of individuals anxious for minute sections and descrip- 

 tions of all the particular localities which have come under 

 my notice during my official connexion with the Government, 

 and however desirable, have taken that character. The geolo- 

 gical books, it is true, contain great varieties of such sections, 

 and they are eminently valuable, but it is to be remembered 

 that they are the results of labors voluntarily undertaken, 

 limited to particular districts, and accomplished by a leisure in- 

 dependent of all obligations to perform other and indispensable 

 duties. The geological literature we possess, and which is 

 almost exclusively European, has grown out of the brilliant 

 career which this science has had for near thirty years, under 

 the direction of a numerous body of energetic and often 

 wealthy men, assisted by all the facilities of highly-civilized 



