Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1836-12-02
GEOLOGY.


"AoE OF THE woRLD.-At the meeting o
the British Association on Friday, the only fac
ELECTED through the evening. was The declaration o
DR. auckland. that millions Of years must hencefor
ward be assigned TO The age Of the world, and tia
the best Hebrew scholars had lately given new
Interpretation TO The Two first verses Of Genesis
This announcement Of the Rev. Doctor was receiv
Cd with an applause that lasted some minutes"
We find this paragraph in an English
paper giving an account of the proceedings
'ofthe Sixth Meeting of the British Asso
citation for the Advancement of Science, .
held in August last, in Bristol. in England;
and it marks in a significant manner the
influence which these meetings have al.
ready begun to have upon some ancient
prejudices that have greatly retarded the
progress Of knowledge. These meetings
are annually held at one of the large cities
in Great Britain, and have hitherto been
very numerously attended. many hundreds
ofpersoas concurring to them from every
direction; including the leading scientific
Gnen both of Great Britain and the Con.
iinent, as we'll as many eminent nobemen.
Upon this occasion we perceive the Mar
ouis of LandsdOwne was in the chair. AT
shese meetings, owing to their admirable
arrangement into sectious, every individual
however humble his pretensions, appears to
fall into his proper sphere Of action. He
who cultiyates Mathematical and Physical
Science Joins that section; Geol1sy and
Geography form another section; C4em'''ry
and Mineralogy third; aud go on with
Mechanical Science, anatomy dsd .hed'-
cine, &c. Each of these sections has It's
President, Vice Presidents, Secretaries
and a numerous committee, and discusses
and receives reports concerning it's appro-
pirate branches. The result of this most
admirable intellectual effort is, not only 10
bring together all the isolated attempts 10
enlarge the boundaries Of science. and con-
cenirate them into focus, from which
truths of the highest order can be reflected
but to give the sanction of the most con-
spicuous philosophers and lovers ofsclence
ofthe time to those truths. 1t may easily
be conceived what hecatombs of prejudlces
will be inundated upon such an altar.
The declaration of DR.. Bncland is to be
considered in this light. Until The science
Of geology was brought forward, 1t had
been from the earliest times assen,eI to
that the period alluded to in the verse
which opens the first chapter Of Genesis as
..lhe beginning" was synonymous with the
commencement Of our common chronology;
and hence that general belief, equal almost
in force to a point Of faith, that the COM
mencement of the creation Of this planet
which we inhabit took place about six
thousand years ago. 1t is not surprising,
therefore, when biologists declared, that
although such an Interpretation Of Genesis
might very well accord with the period TO
which the phenomena on the present sur.
face of,he earth, comprehepdns the exist
.ence Of the human race, may be assigned,
vet that they found undeniabe evidences
beneath the present surface oftbe existence
of animated beings and plants Of older pc.
RODS, and Of an antiquity for the planet
that was immeasurabIe. standing in tine
came relation, as far as our powers of dis
elimination are concerned, to the duration
of our historic chronology, that one Of the
smallest Fixed stars does to universal space:
we say it is not surprising that this deca.
ration should be regarded by many persons
as placing geology IN hostile attitude to
reyaled religion. They had been educated
to believe ia the limited construction given
to the verse in question. and, being unac-
quain,ed with geological truths, were
alarmed at an assertion which appeared,
although it never was so intended, to bring
religious truths in question. This feeling
we have occasion to know has had undue
weight in our own country.
We canno. but regard it, therefore, as
most happy circumstance, that, amongst
the many eminent men in Europe who
have contributed to raise the science of
geology to the rank now universally conce.
ded to it, BucSland, Conybeare, and Sedge.
wick, SO greatly conspicuous in science,
should all be clergymen If great distinc-
tion, and should all have united in the de-
claralion publicly made at Bristol. To this
they have been led, not only BY their pro
found geological knowledge, but by a most
careful examination Of the true meaning Of
the verse in question. by the most eminent
Hebrew scholars. And, since Dr. Buck
land, q dignitary of the University Of Ok
ford, is the organ through whom the dec
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