The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-11 00:00:00

THE GREAT SUB-PUCK RIVERS.

The conjecture so confidently announced by Mr.
Catlin, the American ethnographist, of a mighty
river flowing underneath the Rocky Mountains
' along subterranean passages into the Caribean
Sea, startling as it is, receives confirmation in facts
now well ascertained. This traveller, who for many
years has studied the Indians and the rocks both of
North and South America, has not yet published
hi 6 book, " The Lifted and Subsided Rocks of Ame-
rica, with their Influence on the Oceanic, Atmo-
spheric, and Land Currents ;" and all we know of it
is from the extracts given in Friibner's Literary Re-
cord. We cannot tell therefore what he advances
in support of his opiuion, but there are well-known
facts go far to bear him out. The country,
between which
ntchhe Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Ne-
vada is a vast basin, with valleys for the most part
standing at an elevation of 5,000 feet from the sea
level, though above them tower high ranges, which
attain a stupendous altitude in the peaks of the
Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. Al-
though heavy rains fall on and streams in every
direction flow from the hills, yet in districts of
great extent they leave nothing, but briney quag-
mires, which here and there rise into the dignity of
salt lakes. The rivulets pour down the mountains into
the valleys, where they disappear, and in Nevada at
every step this phenomenon occurs. Sometimes
when the valley is narrow between two ranges these
feeders may for a short period maintain a river, but
eventually the thirsty soil beats the water, coni-
plei ely absorbing it. Look, for instance, at the
Reese River. Fed by parallel mountains of consider-
able altitude, it maintains its way for perhaps 200
miles and sinks; even the Humboldt reaches but the
lake of that name. and is gone. With the exception
of the Colorado we know of no river that can be
said in any way to drain the vast country between
the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, where
there must be an immense flow from so very ele-
vated and mountainous a region. In the valleys
are numerous geysers, and in many places there
sprout from the ground crops of salt which
effloresce as fast as they are swept away. Mr. Catlin
says--" The frequent Montagnes qui fument,'
Roches qui tremblent,' arid Blowing Caves,'
which occur in the Rocky Mountain range indi-
cate submontagne cascades, caused by the waters
of melting snows, of rains, of glaciers, and a thou-
sand sinking rivers and lakes, which, amongst
broken and angular rocks, are on their way to the
ocean level." Again, in discussing the Andes,
through whose vast and heated vaults be believes a
similar river to flow northward from the 30th deg.
of south latitude to the Carribean Sea, he alludes
to the traditions of the Indians as agreeing with
the unimpeachable record of the rocks themselves.
He states it to be evidenced " by shapes and
grooves left in the giant walla at Caraccas and
Santa Martha, on the coast of Venezuela, where
this mighty chain was broken ; records which I
have twice seen, which may be read by alt ages to
come, and which are not myths or fables." Sup.
posing what Mr. Catlin asserts to be the case, 6,000
years ago two of the largest rivers met beneath the

Antilles, then connections of the Andes and Rocky
Mountains underneath into which these rivers had
flowed for ages. By that time they had undermined
the Antilles, and the most stupendous catastrophe
that probably ever took place on the globe then
occurred; for the peninsular of Yucatan, " with its
splendid Aztec cities, sank, and since has partially
risen, leaving the two grand sunken estuaries, the
Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean Sea, into which
the two subterranean rivers, from the constant
overflow of their vast cisterns under the mountains,
now spread their clear and blue waters, heated by
the volcanic furnaces they have passed." These
rivers find then an underground entrance into the
Caribean Sea, and, according to Mr. Catlin, in
conjunction with the Mississippi form the Gulf
Stream. Each of the subterranean rivers lie
considers to be larger than the Missi-isiPIA
and he asserts their action to he such as to
elevate the western surf ice of the Carribean Sea
several feet ab,ive the levet of the ocean. The
water, in its effort to find its level, sweeps around
tha Gulf of Mexico, and, gathering up the Rio del
Norte and the Miss'sippi, flows with them into
the Atlantic at the Florida Cape, when it becomes
the Gulf Stream. The conjecture of Mr. Catlin
will doubtless give rise to much discussion, both
here and in America, as he is sure to support his
views with sound reasons, for such a man does 13°C
advance such a statement as a mere guess. Yet It
is difficult to comprehend how two such rivers
could force their way into a shallow sea without
making their presence felt at the junction by a
violent commotion ; and if so, where is the commo-
tion ? His conjecture would account for the disap-
pearance of the water from the Great Basin, extend-
ing over a vast tract ; but 'hough we can compre-
hend where the water comes from, we cannot com-
prehend its rush into the Carribean Sea so quietly
as for these many asses to have escaped detection.
The subject is one of much interest, and many will
eagerly await the explanation given by Mr. Catlin
of his alleged discovery.

THE DISMISSAL OF MR. EDWARD WATKINS

ED WARDS.

(From the Anglo-American Tinp.3.)
The Lord Chancell r has dismissed Mr. Edward
Watkins Edwards from his post as Official Assignee
of B tnkruptcy. While repudiating any desire to
crow over a man in misfortune, we see no cause to
regret this result of the Overend-Gurney examina-
tion before the Lord Mayor. Although we desire
to separate this gentleman entirely from a connec-
tionwith the promotion or direction of Bobbin
Companies, of which we have no knowledge, yet the
subject is suggestive of such concerns. Those Who
attend to the charges brought against the promo"
ters and directors of failed companies are struck
with the invariable plausibility of their defence
though this is easy of explanation. Men trained to
specious lying only are successful in gulling the
public with the prospectuses of Bubble Enterprises'and they can talk as smoothly in justification el
their course, as when they created so delusive all
impression of the value of their shares as to occupy
the position of benefactors distributing favenrsci
Our enterprising citizen—whose philanthropic n3lll
de.-fires the protection of small fry by destroying
bottle-nosed whales, and can combine this philan-
thropy with oil in abundance and dividends 111
proportion—would, after appropriating all the sub:
scriptions and buying on credit a few ill-found
whders to cruise after the bottle-noses, talk as
glibly in the face of those he left to pay for 111°
unsaleable ships as he did when he made their
mouths water with the picture he drew of the goo'
things in store. Before, he was a benefactor, OW
he is a martyr, and the grandeur of his condescen-
sion and the liberality with which he showered
gifts are only equalled by his subdued suffering, his
quiet resignation, and forgiveness of his itnplacahle
and unreasonable enemies, for he can act both cha-
racters equally well. Hisiforte consists in plaYlllg
upon two strong human feelings—the desire o? gm°,
and sympathy with misfortune; • the one he turns
to an immoral profit, the other he uses tn
escape the consequences. When the resigned bat
unhappy face and the tearful eye is raised in Court
-
those who prhaps lost nothing by him see on'Y
the victim before them. The rain and misery epees
over the land with a hard, unrelenting cruelty by
the lamb-like rascal are invisible. The drowning
victims have been pressed to.the bottom, where that,
lie with a millstone around their necks, beyond tb,,i
oak
power of returning evil for evil. Indeed it we
be hopeless to expect any conviction against theSe
people but for one damning fact--a fact not to b
bilden or ignored—to which the mind wanders barb
e
after the favourable impression produced by the eS:i3
planations of the accused —turning to the thousanuis
in scores piled on each other of money lost—whel
it? The Gurneys were saints, but the men I.„v
ho
trusted them lost three millions. Mr. Edwards
an earnest, intelligent, hard-working man, 'vb° of
his best to save that and other firms ; but a slice te
the three millions which fell on the unfortunf',.,
shareholders was traced directly and indireetll.o
him. Mr. Wilkinson was the lamb which fell w
the jaws of the wolf, being actually incarcerates
in
taespr,
hateful
ex
express
their
convict's
indignation of the go-s iu.
fringement of English practice, which has " eic
dealt with one who had broken a great Joint_stoeo,
Discount Company, ruined families by the dnioas
swamped n
money iu millions, and led to nuillertie-
suicides and premature deaths. Why this gen,
man, whose personal expenses were far greater too,
those of the Prime Minister of England, w„asigho
tually punished as if he were an " Arab tod
had stolen an apple from a stall ! The Pre'neir
" chaff " which these gentlemen indulged in with,rih
victims before their own troubles began is °no an
to be wholly lost to the world, and would flue a
amusing volume if faithfully told. In one 7bese
gentleman who had been totally ruined by ins,
companies called on a secretary to prove his ri,
bility to meet further demands. The seeretalittle
who had feathered his own nest, and cared as
expressed
for the creditors as for the shareholders, exPdrsed
the old hackneyd conventional sympathy, 3 „viard-
that he should not risk further sums in such he', ap.
ous concerns, and noticing the dejected, werlroas
pearance of the victim, recommendA a gene he
diet, particularly rich good wine. It was thi1,.500
spoke to a man who scarcely knew where to.
been
for bread—whose every prospect in life hadnrson
blighted by the lies of such schemers as the 11'eur
who tendered to him this advice. It did not 0
to tile
Wag
to the secretary that what his visitor salc▪ i
literally true, so accustomed had he become vd.
limited liability way of putting things. ?Ir. 3i:sto
wards is now free to gather all his earnings His
his yacht and cruise in search of change•
other
health must have been damaged by the eV Ler
nd otu
strain of the work he. gave to the Gurney a xa.
tion the Lord Chancellor evidently desired to 4.0
companies, so his mind will benefit by the realfraord
abcimco.un If
he
ee
thing
Barnum, for the New Yorkers would pay Boo'
remalilgyhtwisphreospotose turnan ehnisgangoetrfnet• ty
to
to see so smart an Englishman. There are. glee;
Wall-street who would take the greatest inter
oLui'.
him, and as he is provided with a yacht's" .1.,„ the
gratify
mend the trip across the Atlantic to
curiosity of his American cousins.

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es
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Births. 3f 0
BROWNE—On the 9th hist , at Aldershot, the wife of
•
Browne, Es, Capt. 1t.11..A., of a son. w fo
NicitoLL On tq. he Bth inst., at 11, Duchess-street, the

wife of Iltid Nichol', Esq., of a son.
Marriages.
FERGUSON - CART—On the Bth inst., atWest TeignV
Thomas B. Ferguson, Esq.; barrister-at-law, to D
i'rirniry.,
Amelia, eldest daughter of Capt. the Hon. Byron L
Pniuxes—E
R.N., of Ashleigh, Teignmoh.
AST--0n the 9th inst., at Christ Church, if, igns:
fair, Harry Birmingham, third son of John R. rhhior
Esq., of 49, Russell-square, to Martha Dyson,
of Joshua East, Esq., 7, Curzon-street, Mayair.
Deaths. e, 13-
CLIFTON—On the 7th inst., at Brighton, General poi.
Clifton, K.C.8., K.O H., aged 97.
KirGORDON -On the Bth inst., at Carlisle, the Dowager.-
Gordon, of Earlston, kcudbrightshire.
LYE - the Bth inst., at Hayle, Cornwall, Horatio I,Yes
Esq., M.R.C.S., aged 81

C
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