576 



hypothesis of geognosy *, which has at least the 

 advantage of being founded on facts observed 

 on historic lines, and which strongly charac- 

 terize the chains and groupes of mountains. 

 Considerations on the aspect of a country are 

 independent of those which indicate the nature 

 of the soil, the heterogenity of matter, the 

 superposition of the rocks, and the direction 

 and inclination of the beds ; the latter will be 

 stated in the second and third sections of this 

 memoir. With respect to the relief and the 

 connection of the inequalities of the soil, the 

 half of the lunar globe is now, perhaps, better 

 known than the half of the terrestrial globe, 

 and the geology of formations, for ever inacces- 

 sible to physical astronomy, if not devoted to 

 dangerous errors, advances with extreme slow- 

 ness, even in the countries of Europe nearest to 

 each other. 



In taking a general view of the geological 

 constitution of a chain of mountains, we may 

 distinguish five elements of direction too often 

 confounded in works of geognosy and physical 

 , geography. These elements are , 



* See the new and important observations on the origin 

 of the chains of mountains, in a work well fitted to fix the 

 attention of geognosts : Resultatri der neuesten geogn. Fors- 

 chungcn des Herre Leopold von Buck, zusamwonges telle und 

 ubersezt von K. C. von Leonhard, p. 307, 382, 438, 470, 

 475, 50G. 



