The Founders of GeologyMacmillan and Company, limited, 1905 - 486 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
ancient animals appeared Auvergne basalt basin believed Buffon Cambrian Carboniferous century character Cuvier deposits Desmarest district doctrine earth earth's crust earthquakes Edinburgh England eruptions essay Europe evidence facts figured stones fire Floetz formations formed fossil shells fossiliferous fossils France Freiberg Geognosy geological map geologists globe granite Greywacke Guettard hills Hutton Huttonian igneous Illustrations influence interest investigation labours Lamarck land lavas limestone masses materials memoir mineralogy modern mountains Murchison natural history naturalist Neptunists never observations ocean Old Red Sandstone once opinion organic remains origin of basalt Paris Paris basin phenomena philosopher plants Playfair present progress published recognised regard region remarkable researches Saussure Scotland Sedgwick sedimentary sediments Silurian Society Steno stone Strabo strata stratigraphical structure subterranean succession surface terrestrial Tertiary theory tion trace treatise valleys various vast views volcanic volcanic action volume Wales Werner Wernerian whole
Popular passages
Page 310 - ... of vallies, communicating with one another, and having such a nice adjustment of their declivities, that none of them join the principal valley, either on too high or too low a level ; a circumstance which would be infinitely improbable, if each of these vallies were not the work of the stream that flows in it.
Page 377 - Let a number of leaves of paper, of several different sorts or colours, be pasted upon one another ; then bending them up together into a ridge in the middle, conceive them to be reduced again to a level surface, by a plane so passing through them as to cut off all the part that had been raised; let the middle now be again raised a little, and this will be a good general representation of most, if not all large tracts of mountainous countries, together with the parts adjacent, throughout the whole...
Page 72 - EarthN which are infinitely more evident and certain tokens than anything of antiquity that can be fetched out of coins or medals, or any other way yet known, since the best of those ways may be counterfeited or made by art and design, as may also books, manuscripts and inscriptions, as all the learned are now sufficiently satisfied, has often been actually practised...
Page 311 - ... when the usual form of a river is considered, the trunk divided into many branches, which rise at a great distance from one another, and these again subdivided into an infinity of smaller ramifications, it becomes strongly impressed upon the mind, that all these channels have been cut by the waters themselves; that they have been slowly dug out by the washing and erosion of the land ; and that it is by the repeated touches of the same instrument, that this curious assemblage of lines has been...
Page 72 - And tho' it must be granted, that it is very difficult to read them, and to raise a Chronology out of them, and to state the intervalls of the times wherein such, or such catastrophes and mutations have happened; yet 'tis not impossible...
Page 290 - The mind seemed to grow giddy by looking so far into the abyss of time ; and, while we listened with earnestness and admiration to the philosopher who was now unfolding to us the order and series of these wonderful^ events, we became sensible how much farther reason may sometimes go than imagination can venture to follow.
Page 313 - no powers are to be employed that are not natural to the globe, no action to be admitted of except those of which we know the principle, and no extraordinary events to be alleged in order to explain a common appearance.
Page 287 - Doctor," he said, in his precise and quiet manner, " Doctor — do you not think that they taste a little — a very little, green ?" — " D d green, dd green, indeed — tak them awa', tak them awa'," vociferated Dr Hutton, starting up from table, and giving full vent to his feelings of abhorrence.
Page 467 - ... the strictest sense professional geologists, such as Werner, Sedgwick and Logan. Were we to step outside of that gallery, and include the names of all who have helped to lay the foundations of the science, we should find the proportion to be still less. From the beginning of its career, geology has owed its foundation and its advance to no select and privileged class. It has been open to all who cared to undergo the trials which its successful prosecution demands. And what it has been in the...
Page 113 - Naturall History. Being a true and ample Description of its Situation, Greatness, Shape and Nature: of its Hills, Woods, Heaths, Bogs: of its...