THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE TERTIARY DEPOSITS. 136 
capitals of Europe — London, Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Berlin, 
among the number — stand upon deposits of Tertiary age. This 
circumstance has doubtless powerfully contributed to the great 
amount of attention which has been devoted to the study of the 
order of succession, and the collection and comparison of the 
fossils of these deposits. We have already referred to the 
causes that prevented the earlier recognition of the importance 
of the Oligocene deposits, which occur but are not well exposed 
in the immediate vicinity of the North German capital. The 
Hampshire Basin has not the distinction of constituting the site 
of a great city, and its beds have not been so diligently ex- 
plored as have those of the London and Paris Basins. The 
labours of Webster, Prestwich, and Forbes have, however, done 
much towards making clear the order of succession of the strata 
of the Hampshire Basin. Others, like the late Mr. Frederick 
Edwards and Mr. Searles Wood, have devoted themselves to the 
collection of the fossils of the district. It is to be hoped that 
the valuable fossils from the Oligocene strata of the Hampshire 
Basin which are contained in the British, the Woodwardian, 
and other Museums, a very large proportion of which still 
remain undescribed, may before long be made generally known 
to science by means of description and figures ; for it is certain 
that a more accurate acquaintance with these Hampshire strata 
and their fossils will enable geologists to make valuable 
improvements in the classification and correlation of the lower 
and middle Tertiary deposits in various parts of Europe. 
