New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-23

renders passage through taem extremely HaIeid
GUS For this reason too the Southern exposure
Of mountain is more slopiug than the other.
The winds also modify the surface Of the
globe. Upoa the surface of the sea shore the
wind throws up sand, sometimes heaping it up
lao feet high. Then it becomes hard and forms
freestone under it is commonly found coal. The
coal was first formed and then the sand was acct
mulated over IL
CUvlgR and BRoGNlART, prosecuting their dis
coyerics in the basins of Paris came TO the csnclu-
sion that the basin there had been elevated and
depressed-at successive periods--wiih every
change of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES very different
classes of fossil remains were found. But we
nov know better The basin was an estuary of a
wide river; and this river was stopped up by q
sand bank like the one described. Being formed
by floods it would be fresh, and would contain
shells of peculiar character Soon by action of
the sea it would become salt, and Sc it would al
ternate from ore to tie other. But the flood also
would bring down animals, &C.; so that we should
have land animals, sea animals, &C. all existing
il. the same stratum. This undoubtedly explains
the whole phenomenon.
The force of tie wind in raising waves is not so
graf as is supposed: 10 or - feet are stated BY
ARSoTT as the greatest hight to which waves rise
generally imagine. There must be Daa1intun,
Cor the hight OF waves, point beyond which, il
the wind be increased the swell will be diminished.
This is a necessary result. Still the swells have
mad great power, coming from the Western Ocean,
striking upon the Hebridcs and upon the coast OF
England, the granite rocks must be washed away.
Dr.. S., said he had encc calculated how long ii
would take Tor England to be thus washed away,
~ tob as rim, .bat no gay
it up. DR.. BUcKLAND thinks the coal of Eng land
will last only 100 years; others calculate 100.
The process is going on at any rate the dej,is
being carried into the North Sea. Theres sometimes
an apparent accumulation, but this is only tenn
porary. Sand banks thus formed block up bays,
and oftentimes the space between that and the
shores Is filled up SO that land is formed; but the
main process of abrasion is constantly though slow
ly going on.
The next agent of which Dr. s. had to speak
was Water. Rivers were the result of the up
heaval Of the Continent for that this Continent had
been upheaved there was doubt. Them and
not till then, could rivers be formed Now sup
the edge would flow of hrst-and finally the whole
eroded backward; and this accounts for the fact
tioI mo huge IS D9L dS
Is seen In the case of the Aleghanies.
here Is a curious circumstance connected with
the Mississippi. 1t runs from north to south,
and It's mouth is actually four miles higher then
us Soarce-a result due to the centrifugal molten OF
the earth Thirteen miles is the difference be-
tween the equatorial and the polar radius and
the river in flowing 1000 miles has to rise one
.hird of this distance-it being the height of the
equator above the pole. If this centrifugal force
then were not continued, the rivers would flow
back and the ocean would overflow the land The
rivers are finally supplied by Springs; and this
brings us to the nature of Springs, and especially
of the Artesian Wells.
DR.. S. exhibited diagram representing the ba-
sin of London, and essentially that of Paris. Some
ef the strata are pervous to water; but the chalk
is the first which is not, SO that water does not
that stratum The ordinary wells,
then, go no deeper than that but the strata make
a curve at certain distance from London the
chalk then cropping out. Beyond that point, then,
the water that falls runs belom the chalk, and thus
communicates TO the strata beneath the basin OF
London-lyng there also below the chalk. Then
in digging through the chalk, we may thus reach
water Five sheets of water have thus been found
hoforo loSt bearing, stratum reaolied
There is no diifuity, then, in understanding under
what circumstances these Artesian wells will an
swer, only when the water is thus introduced from
higher lands, running beneath the water-bearng
strata.
This renders perfectly ineligible the Artesian
wells of Paris-whch have been sunk to the deptf
Of 1900 feet
Ordinary springs are formed by water passing
down to the first waterbearing stratum through
the superintendent soil which is pcrvious. Occa
sionally, however, the soil is washed away down
to the wa;er-bearing stratum and then we have q
spring. Sometimes springs are formed by faults
which were explained the other evening.
The Manhattan well DR.. S. said he could never
quite understand The well, he had understood
was never exhausted (; and to explain this he must
suppose that it communicated with some reservoir
When water rushes along it carries with it alu
vum which it misunderstanding the greatest
quantity at the edge of the stream-the edge of the
river being thus higher than the land at some little
distance from it; thus in the main the Levee OF
New Orleans was forned-lhough somewhat
raised by artificial means.
This occasions ponds to be formed behind the
ridge sometimes, and this is one reason of the sick
ness of the Southern country.
The formation and filling up of lakes is worthy
Of attention. Or geological map of the United
States, 10 the North lakes both great and small.
NAV be seen to be abundant, while at the South
they are very rare. This is fact of which DR..
S. said he did not know the reason. A stream
running through lake gradually fills II up-frst
filling those nearest to its source When they will
receive no more il is carried on, and so tley ali
gradually flied The lake of Geneva is undergo
ing this process. At frs, the sand is coarse: a
little further on, it is finer Until at last it becomes
mere mud.
The Lake Of Geneva DR.. s. said, fills not quite
yard year; the rate being nvcrsey as the depth
of the lake The lakes of Scotland are found to
ill up at the rate ct six inches century. There
are also many small shell FISH which have an nlu-
enccin filling up lakes. These very small, and