Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-06-20


ne The beginning Of the formation of per
eel globe particles oi matter would be
g!n un'ler It's influence To adjust themselves
IKE 10 ike, according t. their specific gray>
ny and affinity and thus the base or oenire OF
, The earth would become as is generally sun.
posed, metallic; and thus different strata OF
rocks would he formed, especially the pri-
mary, in perfect regularity. like the layers
upon an onion, and not dipping in every tli :
rection and confusion as found at present
and thus also the different strata of caribs
would he formed around them hor izon tally.
and finally. that which constitutes the crust
or surface, or soil, being more unctious. and
therefore Lighter than the rest, would cover
The whole.
This process Of formation however could
not go on without grea, commo.rcn and api-
'a''on among The different conflicting par,i-
cies oil matter suddenly set in molten. and
thereby taught each TO seek its proper
place: This commotion may be aptIy Hue
rated by surprising vast army in great
disorder spread over a vast plain, hut all M
resi- Suddenly IL receives the command 10
form, and suddenly every man is in motion
rushing hither and thither in search oi his
proper post During such agitation OF the
chaos, great crevices and cayerns would D.
| pen from the snriace, into which the wafer,
would instantly rush with impetuosity aud
over which the lighter and more unctious
particles OF earth would form a coz rinp and
mus inclose tho most Of the waters belong
ing 10 our planet in the bowels OF the earth
There were no doubt collections of water
covering portions of the surface of our earth. :
probably such as our smaller lakes, hui by
no means such large ones az our present o.
ceans, as wiil he more fully shown in irs
proper place. Indeed there is some yery
good authority in favor OF the doctrine tina,
all me waters belonging TO our planet were
cnnnned to the interior of our earth on lis
nrst formation, that portions OF the mi,v
which went up out Of The ground accordinr
TO Moses, were carried 10 the poles, where
being condensed by a somewhat cooler at
mosphere they came down again in gentle
showers and formed rivule.s which watered
not only Paradise, but the whole EARTH
The doctrine of no visible ocean originally
on our earth was no doubt taken from the
Apocalypse of st. John, who, when he saw
The new Paradisical earth rising ont of tho
confiagra'ion Of the old or present one. saw
n" more SEQ the water not being DESTROYED.
nn' having retired again into lis inner chan,-
bers.
On the formation Of mountains. islands
and continents, we shall have occasion 10
speak more particularly when treating upon
The Hood but we would just remark by The
way, that The commonly received opiniun OF
me present day, VIZ that they were formed
ny volcanic action, by earthquakes, partial
floods &c, is liable to very serious obee
Tons For although some few lncons,ier.
able ones have been formed by those apen.
c'es, yet they may be all easily distinguish.
ed from the rest by their interior formation
inr they never present those regular strata
OF rocks and earths, which we find in our
ini and mountains and most islands of the
sea hence they must be accounted for in a
different way. ] believe no author on the
Ject contends that there were any noun
tains upon the earth when first formed for
h"w such huge eXcrescences could he form.
ed from chaos set in regular rotary NOV
| non would not he easily conceived without
| The mierposiiion Of miracle !; and il is no.
fashionable, Sit, neither is it proper, TO have
recourse 10 miraculous agency TO account
Tor plain phenomena in nature.
As 10 the climates, have already nlima-
led tina! they were nearly uniform and per-
FennIaI, without any very sensible changes
10 effect either the health or comfort ofman
! his proposition may be supported by three
very competent Witnesses Reason, Scrip,
ture aud Tradition. In the first place i, iss
wei known fscl. that but comparatively
'rlling circumstance in The position Of our
earth IN her relation 10 The sun produces all
Inc changes OF seasons and the variety of
climates, which circumstance is The inciina.
non OF The North pole by % degrees, and
MOI rs 10 vuiSarIy supposed the revolution of
me earth round The sun. II then you would
nave more constant perrenium in yourrs-
sPectNe iatiiudes, as those have who live
nearer the equator, where the effect of tho
inclination OF The poles is little ielt, you need
not stop The earth in her morton, but simply
10 return her poles 10 position perpendicu-
lar with the sun. Sir Isaac Newton indeed
c"inbaifed this theory ny many Ingenious
arguments, and he, being the pbilosophical
Goi'ah OF his day, made his demonstrations
10 pass off with all the force of an orscle:st
The same time il is vi rhout doubt demonara-
ted hy himself that Jupiter, another planet
oel"ngIng TO our solar system, Carries her
poles precisely in that position 10 the sun
which we claim Tor ou: earth and that there
lore she experiences little or no yicissitu,fes
IN Her seasons aud climates, and why, may
"e ask, might not our earth at first have
been az great a favorile Of heaven as Jupi.
Ter remains 10 ibis day II 10 also worthy
OF remark, that since The days Of SIR Isaac,
some Of his Own principles, which were
once considered ~ true as inspiration, have
been demonstrated 10 he faulty, and so have
also been some Of The doctrines oil Dr..
franklin on The subject Of electricity, su Of
which only proves to us the humbIinp iacs.
that the wisest Of men are bot men sf he's.
We do not conceive il IN be within the
province OF man 10 say what can, or what
cannot be in the natural world, We know
but lew OF those things that are, and their
relation TO each other, but we cannot know
what even these things would he, and hat
would be their relation under pntred or diff