An Introductory Discourse, Delivered Before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York, on the Fourth of May, 1814 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from An Introductory Discourse, Delivered Before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York, on the Fourth of May, 1814

These are the principal attempts which have been made to illustrate our geology; and although entitled to merit they are imperfect; and. Probably, to a considerable extent fanciful. Amid the thirty-eight dif ferent substances which Maclure has mentioned as composing the different formations, the others have designated but five; and although I presume that the denomination given to a particular region is only intended to indicate that the principal rocks or substances are of the kind from which theappellation is derived. Yet it must be obvious, that in such an extent of country it is utterly impossible to arrive at such a conclusion without the most minute and scrutinizing surveys. It is difficult to distinguish and ascertain the difl'erent kinds of formations; it requires considerable practical knowledge to discriminate between matter purely inorganic. And its mixture with organic substances; and as strata of different as well as of cognate species are not only piled upon each other. But are frequently buried in the bowels of the earth, there is great difficulty in forming just conclusions. This science, and the kindred science of mine ralogy, have been almost entirely uncultivated with us; and when we consider'their immense importance, and the extensive investigation which they open, we must be convinced that we ought to devote more than ordinary attention to their cultivation.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.