The advent of Jameson to Edinburgh gave a fresh impetus to the warfare of the Plutonists and Neptunists, for he brought to the ranks of the latter a mineralogical skill such as none of their Scottish opponents could boast. The igneous origin of basalt, which the Plutonists stoutly maintained, was as strongly denied by the other side. For some years one of the most telling arguments against the followers of Hutton was derived from the alleged occurrence of fossil shells in the basalt of the north coast of Ireland. Kirwan[129] quoted with evident satisfaction Richardson's observation of "shells in the basalts of Ballycastle," and Richardson[130] himself, though the true explanation, that the supposed basalt is only Lias shale altered by basalt, had been stated in 1802 by Playfair,[131] continued for ten years afterwards to reiterate his belief in the aqueous origin of basalt. Thus the Tertiary volcanic rocks furnished effective weapons to the combatants on both sides. The dispute regarding the black fossiliferous rocks of Portrush had the effect of drawing special attention to the geology of the North of Ireland. Among the more noted geologists who were led to examine them, particular reference must be made to Conybeare and Buckland, who, in the year 1813, studied the interesting coast-sections of Antrim. The report of their observations gives an excellent summary of the arguments for the truly igneous origin of basalt, and a statement of opinion in favour of the view that the bedded basalts are the products of submarine volcanoes. Berger also about the same time described in fuller detail the geology of the Antrim district, and showed the rocks of the basalt-plateau to be younger than the Chalk. He likewise made a study of the basalt-dykes of the North of Ireland, and was the first to point out their prevalent north-westerly direction. The memoirs of these geologists[132] may justly be regarded, to quote the words of Portlock, as "the first effectual step made in Irish geology." Portlock's own description is still the most complete summary of the geology of that interesting region.[133] [Footnote 129: _Geological Essays_, 1799, p. 252, _footnote_.] [Footnote 130: Richardson lived on the Antrim coast, and had daily opportunities of examining the admirable rock-sections there exposed. It was he who found the shells in supposed basalt, and led the geologists of his day astray on this subject. He made a clever but irrelevant reply to Playfair's plain statement of facts (_Trans. Roy. Irish Acad._ vol. ix. 1803, p. 481). His elaborate attack on "the Volcanic Theory" will be found in _Trans. Roy. Irish Acad._ vol. x. (1806), pp. 35-107. Though lively enough as a specimen of controversial writing, it forms, when seriously considered, rather a melancholy chapter in geological literature.] [Footnote 131: _Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory_, § 252.]