OPINIONS OF THE LATEST CULTIVATORS OF GEOLOGY. 
473 
•by Murray, Kirwan, Deluc, and oihers, a 
violent controversy being maintained between 
the partizans of Werner, who were calltd 
Neptunists, as ascribing the formation of 
all rocks to waier;and those of Hutton, 
styled Vulcanists. because they attributed 
the original formation of rocks to fire. The 
Neptunists, for a time, constituted by much 
the more numerous party ; liut in the course 
of these discussions, it was at length per- 
ceived that speculation had, on both sides, 
been carried further than was warranted by 
the extent of existing information ; and that 
■while neither the theory of Werner, nor that 
of Hutton, could be considered as alFording 
an explanation of iill the phenomena, or mak- 
ing near approaches to perfection, there 
■were many points with respect to which the 
researches and observations of both these 
philosophers contributed to the extension of 
our knowledge, and the improvement of the 
science. 
“ A new school at last arose, who profess- 
ed tlie strictest neutrality and the utmost 
indifference to the systems of Werner and 
Hutton, and ■who resolved diligently to 
devote their labours to observation. The 
reaction, provoked by the intemperance of 
the contending parties, now produced a ten- 
dency to extreme caution. Speculative views 
•were discountenanced ; and through fear of 
exposing themselves to the suspicion of a 
bias towards the dogmas of a party, some 
geologists became anxious to entertain no opi- 
nion whatever on the causes of phenomena, 
and were inclined to scepticism, even where 
the conclusions deducible from observed facts 
scarcely admitted of reasonable doubt. 
“ But although the reluctance to theo- 
rize was carried somewhat to excess, no 
measure could be more salutary at such a 
moment than a suspension of all attempts to 
form what were termed theories of the earth. 
A great body of new data w'as required, and 
the Geological Society of London, founded in 
l807, conduced greatly to the attainment of 
this desirable end. To multiply and record 
observations, and patiently to await the re- 
sult at some future period, was the object 
proposed by them ; and it was their favourite 
maxim, that the time was not yet come for a 
general system of geology, but that all must 
be content for many years to be exclusively 
engaged in furnishing materials for future 
generalizations. By acting up to these princi- 
ples with consistency, they in a few years 
disarmed all prejudice, and rescued the 
science from the imputation of being a dan- 
gerous, or at best but a visionary pursuit.”* 
One train of research, which was now 
pursued with great ardour, and which con- 
tributed much to the improvement of science, 
was respecting the nature of the organic re- 
mains, which were found imbedded in various 
strata indilferent parts of the world. Cuvier, 
the celebrated anatomist and zoologist, pro- 
fessor of natural history at Paris, acquired 
♦ I, yell’s Principles of Geology, vol. i. pp, 
102 , 103 . 
great distinction by the number, accuracy, 
and importance of the discoveries which he 
made relative to the generic and specific cha- 
racters of the animals, fragments of whose 
bones, and other constituent parts, occurred 
to notice in the course of his long and labori- 
ous investigations He ascertained that nu- 
merous living beings of different classes, 
which have no existing analogues, once inha 
bited the surface of the globe ; and that the 
relative priority of the several strata miiiht, 
to a certain extent, be inferred from the cha- 
racters of tlie organic remains included in 
them 
Among the recent cultivators of this 
branch of science besides Cuvier, may be 
named Alex. Brogniart, Lamouroux. La- 
marck, Deshayes, Marcel de Serres, Broc- 
ihi, Goldfuss, Parkinson, Buckland, Cony- 
beare, J. S. Miller, Mantell, Lonsdale, Say, 
M orton, and Harlan, who devoted their atten- 
t on chiefly to fossilized animal remains ; and 
Adolphe Brogniart, Witham, Bindley, and VV, 
Hutton, whose investigations have been es- 
pecially directed to botanical oryctology. The 
results of their researches relative to these 
subjects, and those of other geologists con- 
cerning the mineral ogical Structure and 
position of roc,s and mountains, and the 
modifying influence of existing causes on the 
surface of the earth, have greatly contributed 
lo the augmentation of our knowledge of the 
nature and arrangement of the superficial 
strata of the planet on which we dwell, which 
must be regarded as the only sure foundation 
of a true system of geognosy, which may 
verify or overturn the conjectural specula- 
tions of those philosophers who wrote during 
the infancy of the science. 
When we compare the result of ob- 
servations in the last thirty years, with those 
of the ihree preceding centuries, we cannot 
but look forward with the most sanguine ex- 
pectations to the degree of excellence to which 
geology may be carried, even by the labours 
of the present generation. Never, perhaps, 
did any science, with the exception of astro- 
nomy, unfold, in an equally brief period, so 
many novel and unexpected truths, and over- 
turn so many preconceived opinions. The 
senses had for ages declared the earth to be 
at rest, until the astronomer taught that it 
was carried through space with inconceivable 
rapidity. In like manner was the surface of 
this planet regarded as having remained 
unaltered since its creation, until the geolo- 
gist proved that it had been the theatre of 
reiterated change, and was still the subject 
of slow but never-ending fluctuations. 
This discovery of other systems in the 
boundless regions of space was tbe triumph 
of astronomy ; — to trace the same system 
through various transformations — to behold 
it at successive eras adorned with different 
hills and velleys, lakes and seas, and peopled 
with new inhabitants, was the delightful 
meed of geological research. By the geo- 
meter were measured the regions of space, 
and the relative distances of the heavenly 
bodies ; — by the geologist myriads of ages 
were reckoned, not by arithmetical compu- 
