Outlines of the geology of England and Wales. With an introductory compendium of the general principles of that science, and comparative views of the structure of foreign countries ... / By the Rev. W.D. Conybeare ... and William Phillips ... Part I.

  • Conybeare, William Daniel, 1787-1857.
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of the geology of England and Wales. With an introductory compendium of the general principles of that science, and comparative views of the structure of foreign countries ... / By the Rev. W.D. Conybeare ... and William Phillips ... Part I. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    demand attention in an attempt to give a complete delineation of the geology of any country ; the derangements which those formations have experienced, the circumstances of the vallies apparently excavated in their mass, the accumulations of gravel derived from their partial destruction, &c. are most important classes of geological phcenomena which require to be presented under proper heads in a connected view, in order to place in the full and clear light of their real evidence the inferences resulting from them ; to the partial and uncombined views which have been too generally taken of these phcenomena, much of the contradictory theories which have divided geologists must be ascribed \ a regular induction of them applied not to a limited district, but extending to the whole of this country, may therefore it is hoped contribute in some measure to lay a more secure and solid foundation ; the manner in which it is proposed to handle these subjects will appear from the Intro- duction. All other incidental matter arising from the general subject will likewise find its place in the second Part.*- The bulk and expense of the second Part will certainly not exceed and probably fall short of the present. It is impossible to give a distinct pledge as to the period of publication ; delay will be avoided as far as it can be so without injuring the character of the work. The present partf has been presented to the public without waiting for the completion of the second, chiefly because it con- tains the history of those formations which have been as yet fully examined in England alone, and of which a detailed description was required to fill an important chasm in the science of Geology. The remaining formations (those of the commonly called transition and primitive districts) are of less impoitance under this point of view, since they are more ex- tensively exhibited in many other countries, have been long generally known and often described, and the precision which Dr. Mac Culloch has recently introduced into this branch of the subject has left nothing further to desire. The degree of originality belonging to the present work will appear from the following statements. * It is proposed, as an Appendix to the second part, to give a slight sketch of the processes connected with the working the different mines, and the metallurgical operations prosecuted in the mining districts, subjects which will be found useful in a manual intended as a companion for the English geological traveller. t The interval between the publication of the first and second part, will also be attended with an important incidental advantage in enabling the editors to subjoin, in the form of an appendix, the most material correc- tions and additions which during that interval may be collected.