ANNUAL REPORT—EARLY INVESTIGATIONS. 
55 
as the Alluvium, the fourth division in the Wernerian 
system. 
A paper by John Finch entitled “Geological Essay on 
the Tertiary Formations in America/’ published in the 
American Journal of Science for November, 1823 (69), is 
credited by Professor William B. Clarke (25) as the first 
attempt to correlate the deposits of the coastal plains on 
scientific grounds. This paper refutes the prevalent idea 
that the coastal plains consist entirely of alluvium. With 
regard to this point, Finch states, page 32, that:— 
“In America, an immense tract of country, extending from 
Long Island to the sea of Mexico, and from thirty to two hun¬ 
dred miles in width, is called an alluvial formation, by most of 
the geologists who have written upon the subject, and by some 
it appears to be considered as an exception to the general ar¬ 
rangement and position of strata, which are found to occur in 
other countries. 
“From an examination of fossils brought from that quarter 
of the United States, from a personal inspection of some of the 
strata, and the perusal of most of the publications which bear a 
reference to it, I wish to suggest that what is termed the allu¬ 
vial formation, in the geological maps of Messrs. Maclure and 
Cleaveland, is identical and contemporaneous with the newer 
secondary, and tertiary formations of France, England, Spain, 
Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Iceland, Egypt and Hindoo- 
stan ’ 
Specimens of Florida clays from Escambia Bay, seven 
miles above Pensacola, contained in the Academy of Nat¬ 
ural Science of Philadelphia are mentioned, (p. 37.) 
A paper published the following year, 1824, by R. 
Dietz, contains a description of the coquina rock of An¬ 
astasia Island at St. Augustine (63). In a note appended 
to this paper Thomas Say identifies and lists the shells 
contained in a mass of the coquina rock. 
The territory of Florida, “A recent and valuable acqui¬ 
sition to the United States”, is described by James Pierce 
in a paper published in 1825 (158). This paper, like Bar- 
tram’s, is based upon actual explorations. Central Florida 
was visited by Pierce and the topographic features accu- 
