Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-11-06

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originally had. Indeed, it has long
been IN the hands Of students as manu-.
al of Geology, and though not written
with this view, will probably keen il,
place as such, from the difficulty of in
vesting more regular and formal trea-
ties on the subject, with the same interest
But the Professors additions, though ey.
trcmely valuable to the student. cannot
IRON their nature, be SO attractive To 9th.
ers; and we are therefore well pleased to
see new Translation of the discourse il
sell, IN cheap aud accessible form. 70,
the use of general readers. We think
reading of this kind not only pleasing
but highly useful. 1t nour,shes no idle
feelings, but affords moderate and saIu.
tary exercise to the reasoning powers.
strengthens the Judgment and by enlaru.
ing our knowledge OF the past history of
the globe, gives us juster views of the
great ends OF its Divine Author. 1t would
be well tor clergymen to study GEOLOGY
with more care than they do. Thew can.
not surely neglect it now; and were thew
familiar with its truths, they would no, be
so prone to indulge in some Of those wild
speculations which now and then confuse
the heads of credulous and i'll informed
persons.
There are few objects of study more
interesting than those organic remains
which are buried in such myriads in the
crust OF the globe. In these we have
recorded the history of innumerable races
OF living beings, which have succeeded one
another IN long series, and left nothing
similar behind them in the existing tribes
OF animals. OF thirty or forty groups OF
rocks from the transition strata upwards
which contain organic remains, there is
perhaps not one which, if thoroughly ex.
amlned, does not present some fossil Le-
culiar TO itself; and those fossils which
occur IN several successive formations
are never found IN Two consecutive ones
mixed exactly iii the same proportions.
The world Of organized beings, animal
and vegetable, has been undergoing con-
slant series OF changes, and the longer
he uT.e elapsed, the greater always is
the deviation from It's original character.
IL we contne our attention to the more
perfect species OF animals, to quadrupeds,
we may class the remains under three e.
Pochs-those i'll the secondary rocks ND
o the chalk-and those in the aIluvial soil
Though the trunks of palms and the
ems which are numerous in the coal :or-
nation, show that dry land then existed
is remarkable that no quadrupeJs seem
I'd to have lived at that time They are
|irst found in The Magnetism limestone
winch lies above the coal, and consist of
,mphlbiOus animals of the lizard or the
turtle tribe, generated from eggs (ov,pa
Fous) and one or both living in fresh wa.
Ter. In higher beds Ohe zoIite and
lmestones) are found other animals OF.
the same species, but extremely different
IN form associated with crocodiles, with
monsrous and gigantic species of lizard
no feet long, or as big as a whale. and
with what Is equally singular, flying liz
hrds, some as large as thrush, and some
much larger This first period of the ex.
stence Of quadrupeds may be consider
fd as the epoch Of lizards and turtles.
In the limestone which lies above the
haIk are found the mammiferous animals
those which have breasts to suckIe their
Oung:) but these live in the waters con-
Bistug Of dolphins, lamantns, and mo,s-
bs, al! unlike any now existing. In the
beds OF gypsum, sandstone and mari, w.
ing above this limestone, are found the
first mammi!erous land animals. Fo,tv
species have been ascer tanned. yarylpg
from the size OF hare to that of an Gle.
plant, and ali bearing some resemblance
To the rhiDOceroS or the swine They
are all of the order Of Pachydermaia, or
lick skinned animals, because, though
only the bones are found, these show that
their organization was similar to that OF
The species of living animals which are
distinguished by this peculiarly. Along
with these arc found crocodIes, fresh
water turtles, a few carnivorous quadru-
& peds, many birds, but very few rumiDat-
ing animals: The globe seems at this
time to have abounded in fresh water
lakes, in the neighborhood Of which the
greater part OF the land animals alluded
80, lived on grass and plants. This NAV
Ybc considered as the epoch Of the thick
skinned berbIvorous animals, for, though
a few Of the other kind existed, the pacby.
:" de:mata are so much more abundant as
TO characterize the period. The marks oil
D design and wisdom which we every where
e observe in the creation, will not permit us
! to think that the constitution of the ami
y mails covering was without some refer
= ence to the circumstances in which it was
! placed, but what peculiarly in the state
: OF the earth or atmosphere render this
{ provision necessary VIC are unable to say.
These tribes of living beings, at least
such as lived on land, had persisted by an
J inundation, as Culver thinks, and gave
2 place TO others entirely different.