Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-01-26

race, TO let MN Know tno. IL lac BtoPt us
horse su 'denly he mignt be tossed over his
head. But do not suppose that he WHO
m AIDE the earth, made it without knowing
this--and he therefore made the waters at
the same time-and they moved on har.
moniously together.
After supposing to be true, what any
thing but credhlity would doubt, he d.du.
cas- infercnces, which, ia reason, are not
|dsducible. l shall pass over his idea OF
Hampton Roads being at some future day
fertile vaflies, and of the Gulph Of Mexico
being filed up, in contradiction to another
philosopher who supposes it o1ce 20 have
lbeen champaign country.t But there is
one idea SO cur. ous that it deserves some
attention. Perhaps (says hey at some fu.
|ture day lands NAV emerge in the neishbor-.
hood Of the antarctic circle, which, by pro-
gressive ACCOMMODATIONS, aui consequent
increase OF weight, may keep juster bs.
lance between the poles. and produce
material differences In our astronomical
calculations" So far from there being
any probability of lands emerging near Ell.
Their of the poles in preference to the equs-
toria! regions, it is more probable that
thew will emerge in the latter in prefer
ence to the former. And even if they were
to emerge near one of the poles, l can find
no reason why they should do So toward,
the south rather than the north. Reason
ing By conjecture, aud conjecture too ne-
Their founded on reason nor prooa ability, will
never bring truth from the well and indeed
II has more the appearance of falling down
after it, an experiment which will give US
nothing but broken bones.
The shells which gave birth to this
letter of the British Spy and which are
found IS geo feet above the level OF the o.
cean, viii peril ps long defy the research
es of philosophers. Mons. Voltaire's idea
that they have been formed by chenica,
afini,ies, has been treated with it's m erted
contempt. We must then necessarily ad--
init that they were once the envelopes of
living animals, and of animals existing on.
ly in water. The next and most difficult
query is, how came they on the Andes and
other places distant from and elevated a..
bove the sea. That they never could have
been carried there by any human or other
animal beings, their number as well as the
fruitlessuess of such task testify they ne.
yer could have baen hurled there by any
volcanic eruption, as the form in when
they are deposited, as we'll as their union
Sy slender ligaments, proves. They must
then have persisted in their native elsA
naent. the sea, that is, the surface Of the
earth must once have been covered for
IS coo feet with water. To this idea a
very able writer aud cautious philosopher,
has objected, that if all the circunambienE
fluids by which our earth is enveloped.
were converted into water, that they could
only cover it at the greatest calculation
for SIS feet, And even ii that portion of
matter which has since the supposed al.
iuyion been converted into organic ed bo..
dies, was added to the calculations, it would
fall far short of $4,000 feet, p 4rticularly since
By far the greater part Of these bodes are
lighter than water. Are we then tc suo.
pose with the ingenious DR.. Darwin, that
the m oon was really hurled from the bed of
the Pacific Ocean, and conjecture farther
that the waters which once covered the
earth have retired inyo this, cayitys Were
[ disposed, as more Ingenious men have
been before me, to account for unknown
,hcnomena by shocks aud commissions of
lature, might believe this 20 have hap
oened.
Let US for a moment instead of imagining
he {. highest point of the Blue ridge to
nave emerged --imsglne the ear,h Just 90
rave commenced its revolution on It's axis.
Then as Aristotle has saidsince tnereis in all |!
,od,es revolving round al axis some lint, |
luiescent; wl.ch point rs me axis4- shat |
S line lying between the Two poles-.4it |
wan US easy W SOuSC'fC hoW huOil lCSo TIC
must be near the sequiescent points |
han remote from them, since it increases !
"a -receding from them directly as the pc. |
-ifertes of the circles OF latitude wnich cir |
III nscribe the eartn al any givea distance
RON the poles. Hssce the velocy of any |
point in the equator whose diameter IS
more than 1870 miles, must be to that OF !
ansther point ne IT one of the poles almost in !
he ratio of inEnry to noughS. This greater /,
velocity in the equatorial than in the polar
regions will give to water and to loose para |
ticies of matter on the bed of the ocean a |
tendency to accumulate IN the former at
the expense of the later parts of our GLOBE,
BY which means the water of the seas
must once have been elevated IN the tro.
picsl and other countries near the tropics
10 haight much beyond that which it at
present holds. For by the accumulation Of
solid particles Of matter and by their SD.
perior specific gravity to that Of water,
they must have taken its place, and driven
Il bAsk again to IS polar habltatcns But
the precarious ebbings and flowings OF the
tides Of the sea, from known and other
from unknown and adventurous
causes. the FOE ms of continents are not ex
aStIy such as these Teasonlngs would lead
US 20 expect. Thus might large beds OF
saells and marine substances 10 IN one mo-.
ment deposited on the highest mountain,
and in the next buried by mass Of earth.
shall Offer no other apology Tor sugges-