The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-21 00:00:00

NECHANICO-ASTRONOMICAL , CAUSE OF GEO-
LOGICAL CILINGE3 A.Vp EARTINI7AKES.

A very interesting letter, dated from Nevada,
and signed William A. Begole, appeared in the San
Francisco Mining and &ientific Press on the 6th
March, advancing in a confident tone the writer's
explanation, for the geological changes in our globe,
and like wis.A of earthquakes. "We are living on a
sphere which revolves around the :31113—not in a
perfect circle, but with an orbit of an elliptic form ;
and at the same tiam it is making 3G5 rcvolutioua
per annum upon its own axis. Nuw the question
naturally arises, does one motion affect, or have any
influence, upon the other? I cannot but think it
does. Thu., as it passes from the flit side of the
ellipse to the ends,—.or in other words, from a long
curve to a short one, —the two forces embodied in
the earth must necessarily have a twisting effect--
the orbit motion or. the revolving motion,—conse-
Tien tly gradually changing the position of the poles
and equator. We have various facts that go to
prove that this change does take place ; for in-
stance, we find the remains of plants and animals
imbedded in coal beds and rock in the Frigid Zone,
which are now known to inhabit none but the Torrid
Zone. How came they there? Simply because the
equator was once there. Professor Agassiz has
also discovered the re:n tins of immense glaciers in
the Andes of South Am3rica, directly under the
equator. How cum they there? Only by once
having had one of the poles at least nearer than at
present. Now, admitting that this theory of the
changing of the poles is correct, let us see what
the effect would be upon the globe. The earth is
said to•be about forty-five miles thicker through at
the equator than it is at the poles ; making twenty-
two and one-half miles depression of the ball on
each side of the equator ; and as it is about six
thousand miles from the equator to the poles, we
have a down grade of about nineteen feet to the
mile. If the earth's motion were stopped, the water
from the equator would commence rushing to the
poles and fill up that twenty-two miles and a half,
or until all parts of the surface of the earth would
be at an equal distance from the centre. But as
the earth revolves at the immense velocity of about
one thousand miles an hour, it throws back the
waters from the poles towards the equator suffi-
ciently to counteract the attraction of gravitation on
the down grade to the poles, and keeps up a perfect
equilibrium ; and the waters remain comparatively
of a uniform depth. If the solid earth were
not of spheroid shape, but perfectly round, there
would be all land at the poles, and all water at the
equator. The point that I wish to advance, bear-
ing upon geology and the causes of earthquakes, is
that as this change of the poles goes on, the surface
of the earth must necessarily change with it, for if
it did not, the earth would get out of balance, or,
in other words, would not run true, and would
soon make a wreck of itself. But if the earth is a
shell enclosing soft material, as most geologists con-
cede it to be, then the crust would necessarily yield
and conform itself to that motion ; and as the
surface is composed of two substance.,, a fluid and
a solid, of course the fluid, which predominates, is
always ready to yield to it, as we see exemplified in
our ocean currents, which are constantly flowing
from one part of the world to another, to keep it in
perfect balance. This, too, is probably the reason
why we have so much more water upon the surface
of the earth than land, for God never made any-
thing for naught. If the land predominated, it
would have an unsteady motion, and would evi-
dently destroy itself. ‘Ve have had an evidence
of the changing of the ocean currents since the
earthquake at St. Thomas, as it is said that
the Gulf Stream has changed several degrees
since that event from its old course ; and
perhaps in a few thousand years, or after a
few more such earthquakes, the streams may be
destroyed entirely, or flow in some other direction
to:supply some deficiency cleated elsewhere. I have
endeavoured to show the effect of this change of
motion upon the fluid part of the earth. Now let us
see what effect it would have upon the solid portion.
Of course, that must yield and conform to it also,
.but as it is not free to move like the water it will
have a tendency to rise up bodily at the equator
and sink down at the poles; but when it moves it
goes in small sections at a time, and gives way with
a sudden jar or quaking 'notion. If it is in a por-
tion of the world that is rising there will be two dis-
tinct shocks; one is the upward 'notion, the other
is the vibration of the rocks caused by that motion.
If it is in a portion of the earth that is sinking three
will be but one shock at a time, a sudden downward

jar, fir it tightens on the surface and prevents any
vibration ; and the latter consequently are less de-
structive. Upheavals loosen the surface, set it to
vibrating, and are therefore more destructive
in their effects. Thus the earth gives way, first
in one part, then in another, in one hemi-
sphere, and then in another, on the land, and
under the ocean ; and I venture to say that
there is not a day passes in the year but there

is an earthquake in some part of the world, perhaps
not an hour. If it should give way in large sections
at a time, they would be so destructive that it
would render the world uninhabitable ; but by a
wise provision of nature the rocks are full of joints
and seams, allowing the crust of the earth to move
in comparatively small sections. As I before re-
marked, we have twenty-two and one-half miles of
difference between the extreme elevation of the
equator, to the extreme depression of the poles
(deducting the difference between the freedom of
the water, and the resistance of the rocks to move);
therefore an abundant margin to go upon, in con-
cludieg that there is here cause enough to sub-
merge the highest mountains or make dry land of
the lowest depths of ocean. If the geologist will
apply this principle to his science, he can
readily account for all the geological changes
which are constantly going on in the earth ; for
as one portion of the earth is lifted above the
water, and as the vapours of the ocean rise and
float over the land, the latter is condensed, falls
in the shape of rain, and washes off the loose par-
ticles into the ocean, where each particle of a like
specific gravity will be deposited in strata of like
character, and by the immense pressure of the
ocean they will be speedily converted into rocks,
to be again submerged. Aud thus the work goes
on from age to age. The idea has been advanced
that earthquakes are caused by electricity. Would
it not be better to say that the appearance of elec-
tricity on such occasions is the result, and not the
cause, of the earthquake. Let us see which theory
looks the most reasonable. We know that friction
excites electricity ; and if an earthquake takes
place, there must be a powerful friction in the
joints or crevices of the rocks. We see the evi-
dence of this immense friction of one mass of rocks
upon another in working our quartz veins. There
will always be, in a true fissure vein, one side of it,
a thin stratum of clay, or very finely pulverized
rock, which I know of no way to account for but
by the friction of the adjoining rock caused by the
earthquakes. These same veins themselves are
nothing more than immense cracks in the rock,
caused by the earthquakes, and filled again by the
circulation of the waters of the earth containing
minerals. Like the blood of the human system,
which is always ready to repair any injury done to

it, so the waters of the earth—its blood—are ever
ready to perform a like office."

The richest man in Virginia, Samuel Miller,
died at his house near Lynchburg on SatUrday, March
27. Notwithstanding the ravages of the war, he has left
$3,000,000, of which $193,000 in securities are left as an
endowment for a foina!e orphan asylum in Lynchburg,
and 8100,000 as a fund for a chair of agriculture at the
University of Virginia at Charlottesville.
General A. S. Wen assumed command at the
Doi ai tment of Virginia, April 2, and issued an order rein-
stating Governor Wells. :3en. Stoneman goes to Cali-
fornia. Col. Stone is appointed Adjutant-General to Gen.
Webb.

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