The native American., 1838-05-19

ing upon them (whatD during long periods Of
time.''
''This idea, coming from the pen Of an Eng
llsh scholar, would have been written thus:-
These notifications of the surface are attribute
Ole tothe denuding effects Of ancient foods, and
TO me agency Of the weather during long pc
riods Of time.
"Our paper might be filed with similar speci-
mems OF false grammar: but tics tedious to multi
ply examples, and we promised to be brief. The
gentleman who has committed such blunders, and
who IN his official report connects together such
words as ''wild geese season. "the greater num-
ber Gre, and the like, is, according to the many
tongued report, a scientific gentleman, and, ac-
cording to his own assertion, the Geologisf Of
the United States.
'Mr. Featherstonhaugh devotes nearly two
thirds of his report to the geology of England,
and to other matter equally irrelevant. lie gives
a tabular view Of the geological column OF that
country, and claims the contriyance as his own
invention. He prematurely and unwisely at
tempts to establish American equivalents to Euro
pean series, and to drag into the nomenclature Of
American geology, the Cambrian system, Cara
doc beds, and Silurian rocks, and the like of
Mr.. Murchison, and the Rev. Adam Sedgwick.
These technicalities, says our y. S. Geologisf,
are appropriate terms, by which their American
equivalents ought to be designated: for nothing,
continues he, : would more retard the progress
OF scientific perspicuity, than to retain an lnhar-
monious term (gray Wake). He, therefore,
insists, that the goodol Dutch word, gray Dacke,
which has passed currant on this side of the
ter, for many day, should be driven from the
American list physiological techncalities and that
in lis stead must be written the Silurian and Cam
brian systems; because these terms, he tells us in
a note, ''are happily associated with some Of
the most interesting traits of British Celtic hsto-
ry.' The rocks, comprehended under the term
suurian, having been discovered in that part Of
e country which constituted the kingdom Of the
Silures. Caraioc beds, from Caradoc, the last
Silurian leader, that made stand against the
Romans
"American geologists might, as happily, and
as appropriately, establish a connecting link be-
tween their science and the early history of Ame-
rica. But what would European geologists
think of such terms as the "Pocahontas system,"
the d" Tec1unseh formation,' and the ''Chocfaa0
series?" No geoogist, who has the interest of
his science at heart, would have the hardhood to
register such names on the list Of his technicali-
ties. We have nothing to do with those eminent
men, who originated the terms, Surian, Cara
doc, and Cam5rian, and the like The terms
may be appropriate enough in England, and by no
means so in America. Ideas Of geographical To-
caity connected with them, there, which ideas
are not associated with the localities Of their
| American equivalents.
! Sin most formations, and i'll many of the rocks
and strata included in them, there is something
more or less characteristic in each, from which
carboniferous group, the -Dolitic series, Green
sand, mica slate, BirPs eye maple slate Of Prof
Rogers, and the like, are characteristic Of the for
nations and minerals they designate, and are
therefore geological terms appropriate in the no.
lnenclature OF any country. In such instances
the name is descriptive, and by it alone the mi
neral may be recognised; and mere inspection
| of it impresses the name by its fitness, upon the
memory.
''In his overweight zeal for new names and
innovations, our U. S. Geologist, insists on the
propriety of an injudicous attempt made in a
former report, to derange the geographical, and
ID cucumber the geological nomenclature Of the
country with a name derived from the dogmas Of
his preciptate generalization He urges that the
appellations, Blue Ridge, Allegheny mountains,
ETC., be blotted out from the history and geogra-
| ply of the U. States, and that 's1he .4tlanfic
primary cham" be substituted in their stead We
can see no fitness whatever iii this name. The
Rocky mountains might with as much fitness be
called the Pacific chain. If we had the .Aflun-
nc chain, association would induce us to look
for the Pacifc cham. five had ''The Atlantic
primary chain," association would also teach the
geological student to look for the Atlantic secon-
dary, and the Atlantic tertiary, chain. He would
moreover conclude that the mountains belong ex-
clusively to the primary, which conclusion would
be as erroneous as the name is inapplicable. He
would also infer, that proceeding west from the
Atlantic seaboard, the primary would be first seen
cropping out at the mountains, which is not the
case.
'Mr. Featherstonhaugh understands but little
of the genius of the people among whom he has
taken up his abode, if he think they would give
up the beloved names Of their mountain ranges,
for such tinsel his atlantic primary chain.
The, to as, beautiful names of Allegheny, Blue
Ridge, Unaka, and the like, bring to mind too
many historical associations and pleasing remini-
SCIENCES to be exchanged for any thing Mr. Featl-
erstonhaugh has offered.
''Here we dismiss the first two-thirds Of this
unique Report. In the remaining third, the au-
thor sets out upon, and completes his tour to the
Coteau de Prairie. He commences it by poach-
ing upon the geological ground of Prof Ducatel
who has charge of the survey of Maryland, and