Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1857-02-11
Prof. Emmons' Report.

Prof. Emmons' Report. ,
The following notice of Prof. Emmons' Report is
from the pen of Prof. Dewey, of the University of
Rochester, New York. Such notice from such
quarter, is indeed high commendation, and must
be gratifying not only to Prof Emmons, but to all
who take interest in his valuable labors in North
Carolina:
GEOLOGICAL REPORT
Of the Midland Counties Of North. Carolina, by E.
EMNoNs. Pages $50, 8 co., 1856.
At the late annual meeting of the American
Scientific Association, in this City, some very curl
Gus and unexpected fossils from North Carolina were
presented and discussed by DR.. E. Emmons. They
were curious, as exhibiting new forms of ancient
hfe and unexpected, as no such fossils had before
been discovered in any rocks in our country. The
discovery of these fossils by Dr. E. the Geolgst of
that State, was announced by Prof Agassiz the
greatest made in our country of late. They par
ticulariy described in the above named report OF
course the rocks in their arrangements and connec
tons in which these wondrous models of creation"
are treasured up by its great author to instruct
in the knowledge of organic beings existing in ages
long passed, are fully presented. To give even an
outline OF so large volume would transcend rea-
sonable limits. few points only can be glanced at
In the preface DIR. Emmons pays just tribute to
Professors Olmsted and Mitchell, who had preceded
him many years. and thrown no little light on the
Geology of North Carolina. Indeed the survey of
North Carolina, by Prof Olmsted, was the result of
the first legislative act by any State of the Union
and the report published in 1s24-'5.
Though the rocks remain the same, SO great he's
been the progress of geological Investigations that
the fields Of discovery before the eyes of the present
geologist are ample as he could ask or desire. In
Seed rich mine of discovery has already been
opened by him. The State will have reason for con-
graduation on this second survey of its ample re.
sources and rich treasures of developed mineral
wealth.
In this geological survey, DIR. Emmons has divid-
cd the State into three belts parallels lying north
and south: The Eastern, which borders on the sea-
shore, and is the low country the Western, the
mountainous parts of the State which has the
of its rivers and the Midland which extends west
wardy to the outlines of the Blue Ridge and is hly
castwsrdy to the falls of the rivers AT the
ern limit OF the low country. 1t is curious how
geology divides country into distinct natural por
tonS, where ihe rocks, minerals and soils differ
ent, and require very different pursuits Whoever
has read the geology of England on Its map, must
have had one delightful surprise the light of this
truth first flashed upon his mind.
+ The Midland belt is about one hundred and eighty
miles wide, and its slope towards the is about
ten feet to the mile.
After chapter the rivers their capacity to
move machinery, and the possibility and probable
advantage of manufacturing NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
of high interest to the nhabitans-te report treats
on the igneous rocks; next on the sedimentary
rocks their formation and their arrangement by
their fossils into three divisions palaozoc mesozoc
and canosoic; not new indeed, but its names vastly
preferable to paleosoc, secondary, and tertiary,
| though so often found in geological works.
The use of fossils in classification depends, says
DR.. E., three principles: 1. That species kinds
have had limited duration q That there has been
q succession Of species and 8. That the species of
| one period, and which have become extinct have
never lived in any future period.-p. "a. An exam.
inaOn Of fossils has led to these three conclusions,
| or laws their living and disappearance, SO that
creation and destruction require new creation, and
thus on IN succession through the series of rocks.
Then, see that fossils will show to the rocks
to which they belong, and beyond which they do
not exist
The Taconic system, corresponding to the Cam.
brian Of Sedgwick, in England, DR.. Emmons shows
to exist in great amount in this Midland region, for
this position comports with that system at the north
Indeed the rocks are readily traced from Canada
through the States into and beyond North Carolina
! Pp Al, ~. In the lower division Of the Taconic
system, DR.. E. has discovered quartz rock abound.
ing in fossils, and considered to be much older than
| those of the Potsdam sandstone. Many specimens
Of two species were examined by the Scientific As.
sociation. They Of the coralinc tribe and named
by DIR. f. ms new genus" Paleotrochis, or old
messenger" from its position the bottom of the
fossiliferous rocks. The name is fine. and as the
species differ much in size, is called p. major,
and the other p. minor, (pages 81 and 63,) with
much propriety. The profuse locality of this fossi
is at Troy, Montgomery county, N. c., and the
quartz rock is there below the common clay slate
as it is in Berkshire county, Mass.
The gold mines and veins of silver, &C., and coal
measures, SO fully presented in this report sub
ects Of great importance to the State and of high
interest to the geologist This is specially true Of
the coal measures. Opp 239 to 27s) particularly in
the location in the Permian system But the worl
must be consulted for the facts and reasonngs Five
plates of splendid vegetable fossils from the Goa
measures illustrate the report, besides those of ishe
and reptiles.
This coal field, extending from Virginia through
North Carolina into South Carolina has long attract
ed attention. and the interest will be greatly ncreas
ed to the geological world by this report. Whethe
all the conclusions Of the learned geologst of North
Carolina will be sustained or not (who can hop
they will not?) one cannot but congratulate him tha
he is able to explore field of orgrnic remains pos
sessing this new and excessive interest. C. d.
We learn that strange error has occurred in tn
\ of A. NJ ~ i'll