THE GEOLOGIST, 



inches ; c:ood Cainiel-coal tliirtoen inches. Tlicre is uo appearance of a volcanic 

 rock anv\vliorc near. How tluMi can wc reconcile tlie two ? 



Second: 1^ Iron of vegvi ahle-orii^'in. as Hugh .MiUer seems to give the idi-a 

 in his Transniiii'vaiiou of iron in his lUd Red sandstone ; or of Avhat origin is it? 

 Tronhliui:- vou so f;;r. I remain. Yonrs trnlv, A ]S'lav SrnscinnEU, Dewshnry. 



PirsT : Anthracite not being the same as cannel-coal, the hrst qnestion falls 



to the i^Tonnd. 



Coal that has lost its hydrogen, vrhether on accotmt of the proximity of ig- 

 neons rocks, or from other canses. is Anthracite (stone-coal, cnlm, . steam-coal, 

 &c). Caimel-coal has nsnally more eartliy and animal matter in it than com- 

 mon coal lias : and has probably resulted from the compressed peaty mnd, often 

 full of fishes, formed in the carboniferous higoons. 



Second: Iron-ores are frequently associated with coal and other fossil vege- 

 table matter, and some of the iron may probably have been once in the form of 

 bog-iron, which is said to consist of ferruginous infusoria ; or it may have once 

 been to some extent contained in the wood, stems, and leaves. At all events 

 it a]ipears that in the decomposition of the vegetable matter, carbonic acid 

 vrouhl be formed, ami this would unite with tlie oxide of iron, which is so nni- 

 versally distributed in earths, nuuls. gravel-. \e'.. and would form a carbonate 

 of iron". This would often becouie agu'rei^Mii'd into masses in the silt or clay- 

 beds, aud form tlie ironsunie-uodules the eoal-nu>asures. But the mass of 

 the oxiJ.es. tlu^ carbonates, and oilier salts of iron found in the rocks has pro- 

 h:\h]\ bt'en eouvened and reeouverted again aud again, now in one stratum of 

 deposit now in another, now in a lra]i riH'k mnv in a gra.nite. now on the sur- 

 face, and ix^rhaiis in some organic body, now deeji down in a mineral-vein; and, 

 after iKUSsiiui' throu.gh sueeessive changes oi coud)inatiou, are still snilering 

 alteratior.s wiiliin the natural linuis of clieuiical aliinity, and subject to the 

 many lueeliriuii-al agencies that are liable to remove them from one place aud 

 reai'range them in auoihc]'. 



EEYIEWS. 



Bead/ Bar/illes in search of Sea-side Felhles and Crt/sfals, with some Obsenatious 

 on the Orif/in of the Dia/nond and other precious Stones. Br J. G. Ekakcis. 

 London : llontledge, Warne, and Eontledge. 1S59. 



"When people with good reputations indorse the paper of other people Avho 

 have no reputation at all they nuist take the consequences. All the world 

 knows as well as we do the many good books the Messrs. Bontledge have pro- 

 duced : their names alone to a book are snfiicieut to, and do, sell it ; and they 

 m\i-t. therefore, subuiit to the strictnres aud commentaries that hundreds of 

 others besides ourselves Avill make on such a pretentions volnme — one of the 

 poorest in zoologieal. geological, muieralogical, and chemical knowledge it was 

 ever our misfonune to be utuier the obbgation of reading. "We iiave the 

 greatest personal respect for those gentlemen, and gratefully remember the 

 many hours of amusement and instruction their works have afforded us, the 

 cliea]^ rates at which many valuable publications have issued from their hands, 

 and the uu]H^rtant modifieations made by their eiforts in the general book-trade. 

 They must forgive our remarks, however severe they may be, in doiug that 

 duty which, as long as we exist as a popular expouent of a popidar and grand 

 science, we shall fearlessly do, of defending its sacred domains from the intni- 



