fifi. Mongap mts. or S Kiska- 
tom near Pennsylv. line 2080# 
C Risk-atom or Kiskanom true 
name of Catskill mts. 
27. Shawangunk mountains, 
between Kiskatom ami Mat* 
tavvan 1668, C. 
28. Conewango mts. E. of 
Chatauque L. 1966, H. 
C. B. RAEINESqt T E. 
142. Geology. 
Some essential views of Geolo- 
gy , by Dr> Hibbert and Raf- 
ntsque . 
The following facts and prin- 
ciples are chiefly taken from 
the excellent Essay on Stratifi- 
cation, by Dr. Samuel Hibbert 
(Edinburg, 1822), who has by 
actual observations in Scotland 
the Shetlands and Orcades, en- 
tirely overthrown the fanciful 
theory of regular primitive 
strata, made out in Saxony for 
the whole w orld by Werner. 
Every general theory in Ge- 
ology (and many other sciences 
of facts), is thus gradually de- 
stroyed by careful and impar- 
tial observers. All the great- 
est discoveries in Geology are 
commonly performed by them, 
and those who neither belong 
to systematic schools, nor to 
learned academies, so often 
tenacious of learned errors. 
Thus it was Palissy (a potter), 
who in the 16th century first 
noticed and declared that fos- 
sils were organic remains, and 
not sports of nature as then be- 
lieved : his opinion was laugh- 
ed at for 100 years by the learn- 
ed, and even by Voltaire long 
aft er, and yet it was the truth ! 
It was Lehman who first ob- 
served the succession of rocks? 
and called them primitive, se* 
con clary , alluvial, volcanic and 
basaltic, long before Werner. 
It was a plain surveyor who 
first ascertained the succession 
of English rocks, and made a 
geological map of England? 
w ithout any assistance from the 
learned. 
It was Hatton in Brittain? 
Spallanzani in Italy and Patriot 
in France, all geological ob- 
servers, unconnected with the 
prevalent schools, who first no- 
ticed properly the general and 
extensive operation of volcanic 
agency, which now begin to be 
partly acknow ledged? in spite 
of the Wernerian school and 
other learned theories of se- 
dentary teachers. 
I was myself once a Werne- 
rian ; but as soon as 1 could ob- 
serve for myself, and study 
rocks, strata, mountains and 
volcanoes, notin books and ca^ 
binets, but where they stand 
and display their phenomena, 
I became an enquirer, in search 
of facts and truth, instead of 
supports for a favorite theory. 
At p re sent the greatest foes of 
free enquiry, geological truth, 
and the progress of science, 
are those theorists, wdio how to 
names and merely study the 
dogmatic books of their idols 
and sect, or at best mere cabi- 
net specimens. 
With this pre-understanding 
I shall now give a concise ana- 
lysis of the important views of 
Hibbert, with some notes of my 
own. 
