THE COURSE OF CREATION

JOHN ALEXANDER ANDERSON

It is no mitigation of an author's temerity in publishing, that he can say for himself he had no intention, when collecting and arranging his materials, of ever submitting them to the eye of the public, or of provoking criticism by his speculations. Certain it is, however, I have often, and with severity at times, questioned myself as to the propriety of my geological pursuits, my ardent love of them, and their compatibility with the strict discharge of professional duty. My answer generally was, I sought not these things of themselves; they were hung up and displayed before me, wherever I went on pleasure, on business, or on duty. I simply inquired after their names; and of all the geological phenomena that have passed under my review, I can safely affirm of them, in their darkest, deepest places, they have uniformly led me "from nature up to nature's God," and have inscribed upon them in brightest characters—BENEDICTUM SIT NOMEN DEI.

Table of contents

• PREFACE.
• GEOLOGY OF SCOTLAND. PART I.
• CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.
• CHAPTER II. NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF THE GRAMPIANS. PRIMARY ROCKS.
• CHAPTER III. THE SILURIAN SYSTEM. FIRST TRACES OF LIFE.
• CHAPTER IV. THE DEVONIAN SYSTEM, OR OLD RED SANDSTONE.
• CHAPTER V. YELLOW SANDSTONE.
• CHAPTER VI. TRAP ROCKS.
• CHAPTER VII. THE CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM — PERIOD OF GIGANTIC VEGETABLES.
• CHAPTER VIII. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF COAL — GREAT COAL FIELD OF PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA AND OHIO — COAL DEPOSITS OF ILLINOIS, INDIANA AND KENTUCKY — ECONOMIC HISTORY — CONDITIONS OF FORMATION.
• CHAPTER IX. GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF FIFESHIRE — DIVISIONS OF THE COAL-FIELD.
• CHAPTER X. THE CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS — CONTINUED.
• CHAPTER XI. THE LAMMERMUIRS — THE BORDER LAND — GENERAL STRUCTURE OF SCOTLAND.
• ENGLAND. PART II.
• CHAPTER I. ENGLAND — GENERAL SKETCH.
• CHAPTER II. THE PERMIAN SYSTEM — NEW RED SANDSTONE.
• CHAPTER III. THE OOLITIC OR JURASSIC SYSTEM — AGE OF REPTILES.
• CHAPTER IV. THE WEALDEN FORMATION.
• CHAPTER V. THE CRETACEOUS SYSTEM.
• CHAPTER VI. THE TERTIARY SYSTEM.
• CHAPTER VII. THE MAMMOTH PERIOD.
• FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND. PART III.
• CHAPTER I. GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF FRANCE — BASIN OF PARIS. ORGANIC REMAINS.
• CHAPTER II. THE ALPS — MONT BLANC.
• CHAPTER III. THICKNESS OF THE EARTH’S CRUST — CENTRAL HEAT.
• GENERAL PRINCIPLES. PART IV.
• CHAPTER I. RÉSUMÉ.
• CHAPTER II. THEORIES OF ORGANIC LIFE.
• CHAPTER III. ANALOGICAL ORDER — PHYSICAL AND MORAL — OF PROGRESSION.
• CHAPTER IV. CAUSES OF EXTINCTION OF ORGANIC LIFE.
• CHAPTER V. TIME, AND THE GEOLOGICAL EPOCHS.
• CHAPTER VI. THE MOSAIC RECORD — ACCOUNT OF CREATION.
• CONCLUSION. THE CREATOR.