Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-08-03

Twelve tuiicS OIL lts uoSS i"PuJ
creased within the recoilection OF
man; exposed to strong currents they
are wearing away beneath their &C.
ton. whilst the cape receives its mite
from the eddies within them. The
life of man is too brief to mark or
note tie inroads of the ocean. but
when we reflect that upwards of one
hundred thousand miles of shore are
exposed TO the surf, tits easy to con.
ceiys that it must be at the expense OF
millions of tons of it daily: Again.
took at the thousands Of rivers on
the continent Of America, from near
the Pole to Cape Horn, yielding to
the depths of the Atlantic and paci-
fic, their countless tons Of soil; their
waters it is true are carried again ln-
to the mountains, but the earth will
, remain accommodating in the ocean
with every fresh tribute of the tor
| rents. This we may say in the life
of man. or in many generations. IS.
nothing; but until the philosopher
| can prove the formation of land on
| these mountains, or the retransporta-
ton of il from the deep. let the mind
| go forward for thousand centuries
and see what the laws of gravitation,
| aided by friction, will accomplish
The formation Of the Banks OF New
| foundland, attribute to the sedI-
ment of the rivers of North America;
| 70 the westward and southwark OF
them, together with the sand from
the shores in that direction, all OF
which going down the declivity OF
| soundings by the action of the water,
is at length met by the Gulf Stream,
| and by it swept TO the northward and
! eastw ard. until the stream becoming
weak, the moving sediment has there
taken a stand, and accumulated to a
ridge of mountains, or table land.
| rising from the bed of the ocean. but
! still many fathoms below its surface.
speak thus Of the banks of New.
foundland, whilst I consider the ge.
| morality of sand banks, shoals, and
rocks in the ocean, to be the remains
of islands washed away.
IN the West Indies, the effect Of
the action of the sea in reducing land,
is perhaps more apparent than in a
! ny other place. As there is SINH
larity, with the exception of the Ba-
hamas, of all the West Indies, will
refer to the island of St. Domingo
only. Its mountains. which are high
| and numerous, are quilted by heavy
showers of rain, which have taken
the soil down, forming in places
sheltered from the violence of the
sea, large plains of rich land, bnt in
many places around the island. as
there is no shelter for plains. the soil
has gone at once into the sea, and as
the sea around these islands is eX-
posed to, or runs ia currents coca
stoned by the trade winds, it is driv
en- to some distance before it finally
settles.
In some places the sea works into
the base of the mountain until it falls,
and becomes detached rock or ISL
and with indents to correspond, and
show the place from which it came.
These in time are worn to sand, and
others fail: so eventually the plains
will be anpl detected by the capes and
headiands. and in their torn will fall
| prey to time and the ocean. OF
| the east, south, and west of the ISL
| and, are smaller ones. at the dis
lance of from six to thirty miles. evil
IDENTIFY, from their lying SD near, once
| attached to st. Domingo. Exposed
| now to violent winds, currents, and
waves. their soil has disappeared.and
present nothing but one immense pile
of rock. projecting in some places
| far over the sea. Az the West In.
dies in general are supposed TO have
once Joined the continent, we may
suppose their existence prolonged be-
yond the parts disappeared. to their
bases, of once high and mountainous
| islands, as they are composed entire
| iy Of rock; SO the Bahamas. which
| are numerous, small, and low, it is
probable are the bases of once high
and mountainous islands. as they are
| cnmnnsah almnst entirely Of rock.