Litchfield enquirer., 1835-08-27
IFoTgfE' Fg sI;

r...p renras 2y Mi, silimsn r.vs kis .srst Isclnfs ,ip the. regular course at .s. T.~ceom Hall, oh Fiji evening" May 1 Sss ;.F fsis sobipcE was the enE Constitw. s;n. of ,he earth. He q Geology to be ,Ss ,T.' svstnrsl = history of q Ill, and he said ;.s more rxsct objeei V so inform rs Of the rrust of fine earth. This crast'is c0nlparaT lively very thin. are acquainted With ! | tO inc depth of len smiIes. There are very powerful forces jn operation in the interior, though absolute certainty Tespecting them cannot he obtained. Knowledge 0f the inteI r;Or to the depth often miles is had, by means of mines. some of which are half a mile deep, of.welIs, borings, canals, sides of mountains, sea coasts, aDd especially the inclipation of the strata of rocks. These strata, where, they are thrown up as inclined planess reveal the interior to a considerable depth.
 sfhe professor stated that Geology had to do, not with imagination, but with sober mat ters of fact. 1t asccrtains facts, and then with the aid of cool reason, applies to them scien1i fife nrincjules. The uses of this study, he- said wsre manifold. Itimproves the nnder. standipg: is affords the most rational kind of a,uusement; it is con6rmatory iof the scriptnts ral history of the earth. Chronology com. meuces with the race of man, Geology com mences with the formation of the globe.--- This science tends to illustrate the character of the Creator; 1t discovers materials Tor ar- chitecture, and shows how the earth may ee. the most successfully cult'va.ed., Wat 'h' rts;nors countries must be hardy and in-' .ins,r;o,,s in alluvi iaI countries he is inclined toJindolence. luxury, and vice. The external annearances of the globe are owing to, It's ln-' ternal structure. Water running through re- r;ons in which there is nothing soluble, IS pure and good. When flowing through places
 where there is lime or other soluble matter, T is impure. Wealth depends on the physical constitution of the earth. .5,T... ..lt ps,s'
 Geology is divided into positive and spec ulative. Positive geology has to do with facts; speculative with reasonings upon those, facts., The great agents that have produced such changes in and upon the earth are still slo .'xsi istence. Thcysare not deadsnor asleeRi tho'f they may appear less active at one tune man at another. Some of these agents are. .rs al traction, repulsion, fire and water, with the var;ons mechanical and chemical forces.
 Tn regard to the chemical consultation of ,bolaarfR MT. Sliman said, that the whole might be considered as an equation, Ac combus. t;hies Icing on one side, andasnppnrfers oof rnrnbnstior1 on the other.4 ThisiEaxealt, .hei stafed. ar, admirable simplicity. On one sldes of tha ea,atior are, as sthesupporters of com bustions. !. OK ygen, iodine. bro mipe, and chiof \ rine on the other, every thing that will burn, all the metals, and variety of other su0stan- ces. All the supporters of combustlon; ,,; .: are kept in confinement by being in cofiiblnaticns with other substances else the .gIooe Woaid soon ne consumed. Occasionally, however, thev are ,,nehained, and direful are the res sults. Combustion is continually going on.r-s Even the lungs 0f man are nothing but q la7 boratory where co,nbusti0n ls c9nstanf. Ene II results of combustion are oEyds pr asids:
 The professor illustrated his statetnenls with many heantiful and splendid experiments:
 ~. -,,s.s vQn Monday eyes .c canoes. The lpcturer said it lwasa trenlensG dous thought, that inc centre8ofathe earth was vast mass of liquid boiling flame. But ihatit was so, was in the highest degree pro bable. He then glanced at the volcanic re- eions nlthe globe; beginning with lceland,E which is wholly volcanic. being the hottest and the coldest country in the world; He said it was well ascertained that Sweden was rising out of the water, at the rate of abodt four feet in century; That siss the 0ceanoist eyadually recedings from the shores fItlIai ! country, as the water marks plainly indicate. This he supposed t6pbe owing t0 the exPan- sion ofthat part of the crust of the earth, pro- dpced by the internal heat. ssss; sa TAI ysa \
 In England there are no volcanoes; and no evidence that there ever were any. But in the city of Bath there are heated waters which are known to have existed in their present state for more than two thousand years.-- These waters can be. heated only ibyainternal| fires, .46ssFs tsanfGhs9agss SNs3gtR Il
 Tn France there is series of extinctyolca-| ] noes along the borders of the Rhines They are also to he found in Spain and in Portugal; | in Italy and in the islands ,of the Mediterra- mean. A volcanic island emerged from this sea about four years ago. There is, there fore, reason to believe that 1t reposes on a bed of fire. There is abundant evidence that vol canoes have beenin Palestine inc last prob ably were those connected with tlies esdestrnc. tion of Sodoms and Gomorrah. They are1 clearly traced around the Caspian sea, and inI the centre of Asia. .s ss,.,, .,l afts;9 s.Is gi
 In the Azores, the existence Of forty volca- noes is discoyerable. SO likewise they are found in the Madeira, the. Canary, and the De Verde Islands, in Madagascar. BOnrhon,l along the Red Sea, in Sumatra, Java. Kam-s schatka. and on the northwest coast of A ! merica. Mexico is a peculiarly volcanic re- gion and So is the whole western side of Ss3 America They havsnot existed on the eastsi erH side. Sufficient relief has thus far been had Gn, the western coast but should these safety valves be obstrucied for any length of time, very probably there would be volcanoes on the eastern coast. tS'lAtA
 The Pacific ocean to a very great extent | standsuppn n bass of fire. There are tn the | globe three hundred chimniesl through winichti