*8 Sedimentary Formations 
has been practicable, with singleness of purpose and in reliance 
on my own resources. 
In the course of my work I have tried to contend with the 
prejudices of some who have never visited this territory , and who, 
from a distance of many hundred miles, have ventured to dogma¬ 
tise, solely from a palaeontological point of view, without car in ^ 
to ascertain how filr the stratigraphical evidence is at variance 
with their conclusions. 
In consequence of this the ascending order of formations above 
the Lower Carboniferous in this Colony has.long been disputed 
by some, whose unacquaintance with facts, patent to all who have 
examined them, is the best apology for a more temperate style of 
criticism than has been adopted. 
We arc indebted to Professor M‘Coy, for ascertaining, in 1817, 
the existence of eighty-three species of animal remains in our 
Carboniferous formation, in a collection forwarded by me to the 
University of Cambridge, in which the Professor was then officially 
employed. 
Before that time, Bowerbank, Sowerby, Morris, and Dana had 
determined the existence of the Carboniferous marine beds; and 
the latter author enumerates about eighty species observed during 
his excursions in New South Wales, in some of which I accom¬ 
panied him. 
More recently Mr. Etheridge has described fifteen species of 
Lower Carboniferous fossils from Queensland, in relation to Mr. 
Daintree’s paper on the geology of that Colony, of which ten 
were furnished by myself. None have yet been discovered in 
Victoria. In Tasmania, Mr. Gould figured some well known 
forms from that Colony, but the plates were never published. 
lie has noticed also what I have contended for, that the worked 
coal beds of the Mersey Liver belong to the same formation with 
Palaeozoic marine fossils, as in Queensland and on the Hunter 
.River. 
. Having visited the Tasmanian locality for the purpose of 
inspection, I can confirm all that has been stated respecting the 
occurrence of the Palaeozoic fossils, Orthonota, Spirifcra, Pcnes- 
tella, Pachydomus, Theca, &c., in association with and immediately 
above the coal; and within the last few’ months I have been 
officially informed that coal seams have been found by piercing 
these beds on the Don River, confirming my grounds for recom¬ 
mendation to look for them. 
In estern Australia traces of these marine beds have been 
detected and announced by Mr. Gregory. And in extension of 
the formation northwards beyond the limits of Australia, it is 
Tvell known by more than one observer, that Carboniferous beds 
exist in the island of Timor, where Beyrick discovered several 
