THE GEOLOGIST. 
7 
the practical results which might be expected from it ? " It therefore 
becomes desirable to answer this question clearly and decisively, 
and we think we shall be doing service to the cause of truth and 
sound philosophy if we draw attention to some of the most 
prominent features of the case. 
Let us look to the practical results which Geology has accom- 
plished, and they certainly are not insignificant. They must 
satisfy every candid inquirer that its main object is not the 
mere breaking of stones or the collection of specimens. Even its 
theories, when based upon sound premises, are of gi-eat and essential 
service. 
It has also a most extensive influence on nearly every depart- 
ment of science and art, and hence, of late, the study of Economic 
Geology has been more widely sought after and appreciated. In 
this department the practical fruits of the Science are most appa- 
rent, and the advantages arising from a correct knowledge of the 
internal structure of the earth are particularly impressed upon 
us, and every year may be expected to increase its popularity, as 
its utility becomes more widely known. The study of minerals and 
metals belongs, strictly speaking, to the Mineralogist, but the 
Geologist must be acquainted with the conclusions arrived at by 
the former. The direction of veins, the faults which affect them, 
and the probable richness or poverty of the strata in which the 
various ores occur, is the more immediate and legitimate work of 
the latter. The importance of an exact acquaintance with this 
portion of Geological research cannot be overrated, and those who 
really understand the difficulties to be overcome will best appre- 
ciate the benefits which this noble science has conferred. 
This Science becomes of value in regard to the Carboniferous 
deposits, which, being generally deep-seated in the earth, and 
much disturbed by faults, are worked with considerable diffi- 
culty. The aid of the Geologist is of great service in deciding 
the direction of the strata, and the thickness, extent, and 
quality of the seams. The enormous consumption of coal, 
and its inestimable value for economical purposes, render 
its extent and ultimate exhaustion a momentous and very 
interesting question. Happily, this has been satisfactorily 
answered by many eminent Geologists, who have shewn that there 
