LYRLL — ON CUATERS OF ELEVATION. 
327 
recent death of the first illustrioias philosopher it has lost one of its 
most powei'ful supporters, and rumour even speaks of the second as 
a seceder, in having inclined to the opinion that the " crater of 
elevation theory" is now no longer tenable. 
Since the reading of the above paper, Mr. Scrope has supported its 
arguments by a voluminous paper before the Geological Society. 
Sir Charles Lyell himself has also delivered a lectiire on the subject 
at the Royal Institution, and has, in tlie last number of the Philoso- 
phical Magazine, published some remarks on Professor C. Piazzi 
Smyth's supposed proofs of the submarine origin of TenerifFe and 
other volcanic cones in the Canaries. This last brochure was di-awn 
forth by a chapter on geology and volcanic theories, appended to a 
" Report on the TenerifFe astronomical experiment of 1856" by the 
Scottish astronomer, in which it was stated that fossil shells had 
been found upon the slopes of the crater there. As this statement 
involved points of high theoretical interest, and was made to stand 
in the report as expressly confirming the " elevation" of the great 
crater of Tenerifie, Sir Charles wrote to the Professor to know under 
what geological circumstances he, or his informants, had detected 
such shells. It appears, however, that this statement of the fossil 
shells was made entirely upon mere report, and that it is without any 
foundation. As this was published under the sanction of the Ad- 
miralty, Sir Charles has felt himself called upon to refute it, and 
has added correct details of observations made by himself and Mr. 
Hartung at Tenerifie and in the islands of Grand Canary and Palma, 
which, so far from corroborating the " crater of elevation-hypo- 
thesis," in this instance are dii-ectly opposed to it. 
Future observation will now probably add additional testimony 
to the more reasonable view of the general formation of volcanic 
cones and craters by eruptions ; and since attention is so thoroughly 
drawn to the subject there will doubtless be many other writers 
upon it : but, however numerous or excellent they may be, to Sir 
Charles Lyell will ever be due the double merit of first detecting 
the dangerous spread of a false doctrine, and of having had the bold- 
ness of making the first attack upon it in the face of the support it 
had received from some of the most eminent of the continental 
geologists. 
I 
