118 Barrande and the To conic System — Marcou. 
borings. Nos. 4 to 7 do not outcrop in this county, having 
been depressed by the great fault, nine miles above at Valley 
City. The St. Peter sandstone furnished abundance of water, 
which stood within 50 feet of the surface. The porous strata at 
400 feet let the water escape. The well was piped 1,100 feet, 
when the water stood 22 feet from the surface. Pumping 125 
gallons per minute did not lower the water. The porous 
stratum No. 5 appears at the artesian wells at the glucose works 
at Davenport, and at the paper mill at Moline, two wells being 
adjacent at both places, and the water flows through this porous 
stratum from one well to the other. 
BARRANDE AND THE TACONIC SYSTEM. 
By Jules Marcou. 
Mr. James D. Dana says that Barrande adopted “in his me¬ 
moir in full the views of Emmons on the Taconic system”— 
“and thus confusion was introduced by Barrande along with the 
light. It would not have been so, we are sure from his careful 
Bohemian work, had he been within reach of the stratigraphi- 
cal problem, for he would have withheld his general conclusion 
until he had investigated the region of the Taconic area” (“A 
brief history of Taconic ideas,” Anier. Jour. Sci ., vol. xxxiv r 
Dec., 1888, pp. 410 to 427.) 
That the person who has never found the Primordial fauna 
in the original Taconic area or anywhere, and has referred the 
Taconic system to the Champlain system “or younger” should 
speak of Barrande’s having introduced “confusion” in American 
geology is such an extraordinary accusation, that at first I was 
inclined to let it pass without any notice. Barrande is so far 
above the imputation of the adversaries of the Taconic system, 
that it seems useless to answer. But the persistance of attacks, 
made as usual in the American Journal of Science, by Messrs. 
Dana and Walcott, call for a persistance in the defence. 
Never has such a statement absolutely the reverse of truth 
been propounded on a geological question. It is to be regretted 
that Mr. Dana did not express his opinion before the death of 
Barrande; but as no one has been nearer Barrande in opinions, 
vievrs, and friendship than I, the duty devolves on me to defend 
