South-west and North 'of France, and North of Germany. 145 
After this description, I need only add, that I see nothing in 
it of the character of the lias or Jura limestone, as Mr Buck- 
land calls this deposit. Its intimate connection with the salt 
formation, its situation, its petrifactions, its nature, all shew that 
it is the shell-limestone formation (muschelkalk), so long ne- 
glected, and which now seems to occupy so conspicuous a place 
in nature. It is probable, that even a great part of the lime- 
stone lying upon the Macigno, or variegated sandstone of 
the Middle Appennines, belongs to the shell limestone (mus- 
chelkalk), and not to the Jura limestone. Yet, in contradicting 
in this manner so intelligent an observer as Buckland, I do not, 
by any means, consider it impossible that some patches of the 
Jura formation may be situated near, or upon the Alps, in 
some parts ; but in Germany I do not know of any facts which 
shew the probability of this statement, and so long as Mr 
Buckland is without a clear idea of the shell limestone (mus- 
chelkalk), and of its difference from the lias, at least in Ger- 
many and France, he will probably hesitate as to the accuracy 
of my observations. His chief arguments are derived from the 
petrifactions ; but is it not very natural that the same terebra- 
tulae, or some other similar petrifactions, may exist both in the 
shell-limestone (muschelkalk), and lias ? and until he shew me 
in the alpine shell-limestone (muschelkalk), the Gryphites, the 
Ichthyosauri, the Plagiostomata, and shew that it is unconnected 
with the salt deposit, I cannot adopt his ideas, which seem to 
me inconsistent with nature. 
After having described these different formations in their 
proper order, and removed ^the confusion which has arisen 
from the neglect of the study of petrifactions, the ignorance of 
the true nature of the south-west part of Germany, and a false 
analogy, I pass to the next alpine deposit. In Austria alone, 
there seem very probably to exist some patches of lias, and, 
perhaps, of quadersandstein. The green sand , iron sand , and 
chalk are the next deposits. They are seen in Switzerland, in 
Voralberg, in Allgau, and near Traunstein (See Uttinger and 
Lupin). These deposites present the same characters as in 
France, excepting that they rise in hills to the height of 6000 
feet above the level of the sea. A coarse quartzose sandstone 
forms the lowest rock. After it, comes a green spotted, fine, 
VOL. ix. no. 17. JULY 1823. K 
