Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/612

 GIIOLOaY.] NATURAL HISTORY. V. The recent calcareous breeeia, of which a detailed de- scription will be found in the subjoined list of specimens, (p. 618-22.), is one of the most remarkable productions of New Holland: It was found, during the expedition of Com- modore Baudin, to exist throughout a space of no less than twent-6ve degrees of latitude, and an equal extent of Iongio tude, on the southern, west, and north-west coasts*; and from Mr. Brown's specimens it appears to occur also on the shores of the Gulf of Carponturia. The full aocount which M. Pferon has given of this formation, suftleiently shows its resem- bhnee to the very recent lime-stone, full of marine shells, which abounds on the shores of the Mediterranean, the West India Islands, and in several other parts of the world: And it is a point of the greatest interest in eoloy, to de- terrains, whether any distinct line can really be drawn, be= tween those concretions, unquestionably of modern forms= tion, which occur immediately upon the shore; and other ealearenns accumulations, very nearly resembling them, if not'identical, both in the fossils they contain, and in the characters of the sementing substances, that are found in several eounwies, at considerable heights above the sea. Dr. Buckland has described a brecci of modern for- mation, which occurs upon the shore at Madagascar, and consists of a tirmly-eompaeted eream-coloured stone, com- posed of granular fragments of shells, lutinated by a euleareous cement . The stone of Ouadaloupe,'eontaining the human skeletons, is likewise of the same nature; and its very recent production cannot be doubted, since it contains fragments of stone axes and of pottery  .--The semented + OeoL Trans. vol. v. p. 47g. Z Linnean Trans: xii. p. 53--57.
 * Voyage il. i  168, 169--R!6,

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