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This little book, including the greater part of this Preface, hasshaped itself out of lectures given to the young men of the city ofChester. But it does not deal, in its present form, with the geologyof the neighbourhood of Chester only. I have tried so to recastit, that any townsman, at least in the manufacturing districts of Englandand Scotland, may learn from it to judge, roughly perhaps, but on thewhole accurately, of the rocks and soils of his own neighbourhood. He will find, it is true, in these pages, little or nothing about those“Old Red Sandstones,” so interesting to a Scotchman; andhe will have to bear in mind, if he belong to the coal districts ofScotland, that the “stones in the wall” there belong tomuch older rocks than those “New Red Sandstones” of whichthis book treats; and that the coal measures of Scotland, with the volcanicrocks which have disturbed them, are often very different in appearanceto the English coal measures. But he will soon learn to distinguishthe relative age of rocks by the fossils found in them, which he cannow, happily, study in many local museums; and he may be certain, forthe rest, that all rocks and soils whatsoever which he may meet havebeen laid down by the agents, and according to the laws, which I havetried to set forth in this book; and these only require, for the learningof them, the exercise of his own observation and common sense. I have not tried to make this a handbook of geological facts. Such a guide (and none better) the young man will find in Sir CharlesLyell’s “Student’s Elements of Geology.” I have tried rather to teach the method of geology, than its facts;to furnish the student with a key to all geology, rough indeed and rudimentary,but sure and sound enough, I trust, to help him to unlock most geologicalproblems which he may meet, in any quarter of the globe. But youngmen must remember always, that neither this book, nor all the booksin the world, will make them geologists. No amount of book learningwill make a man a scientific man; nothing but patient observation, andquiet and fair thought over what he has observed. He must go outfor himself, see for himself, compare and judge for himself, in thefield, the quarry, the cutting. He must study rocks, ores, fossils,in the nearest museum; and thus store his head, not with words, butwith facts. He must verify—as far as he can—what hereads in books, by his own observation; and be slow to believe anything,even on the highest scientific authority, till he has either seen it,or something like enough to it to make it seem to him probable, or atleast possible. So, and so only, will he become a scientific man,and a good geologist; and acquire that habit of mind by which alonehe can judge fairly and wisely of facts of any kind whatsoever.
I say—facts of any kind whatsoever. If any of my readersshould be inclined to say to themselves: Geology may be a very pleasantstudy, but I have no special fancy for it. I had rather learnsomething of botany, astronomy, chemistry, or what not—I shallanswer: By all means. Learn any branch of Natural Science youwill. It matters little to me which you learn, provided you learnone at least. But bear in mind, and settle it in your hearts,that you will learn no branch of science soundly, so as to master it,and be able to make use of it, unless you acquire that habit and methodof mind which I am trying to teach you in this book. I have triedto teach it you by geology, because geology is, perhaps, the simplestand the easiest of all physical sciences. It appeals more thanany to mere common sense