New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1842-04-05
Mr.. Lyell's Sixth Lecture on Geology.
ON FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS.
lRcpor,ed for The Tribune.l

ON FOSSIL @FOOI FklN
After the Ontario sandstone comes that which
Is called By Mr.. FAStxEM the Protean group
from; the many different forms in which itappears.
l'.contains the Pentnmerus, an extinct species ot
bvaivc she'll. Sometimes II is also in the form OF
iron orc. This lrotean is only about 5O feet
thick At QueenSton and Lewiston. though IN some
parts OF the country it IS probably thicker. 1t Is
found farther East and South Passing, then
'front.' he Mohawk limestone TO the Ontario sandst
and therHc to the Protean group, we next come
sliaic and limestone OF the Niagara district
These beds contain aH assemOagc OF organic. re-
mains as. for example, the Chain Coral-so called
from the resemblance Of It's upper surface to
chain 1t is genus peculiar to the ancient rocks
az Norway England and the United States. When
saw that each of these groeps is distinguished By
n different asscmbagc Of animals, of which there
are several hundreds in one, ! would be under
stood TO mean that some species have wide.
tica range. as it * called. Some may live longer
On the globe during its changes than others; and
This would be expected when consider that
some species al present bear different climates with
more facility dian others: they are sort of cos
inopotan species which are found every where.
Thus we find the same shells in the Hudson as in
our seas and in the Baltic the same may be found
,zihe temperate and the tropical zones.
The Same group which borders Lake Eie and
is al Buffalo forms the Black Rock ofButalo.
Its called the Hcderberg limestone, because in
The Heidelberg Mountains we have no cthcr beds
oflimestonc, and upon the fossils found in them
might employ the whole of eight lectures and YOU
might suppose that the whole Of geology was era
braccd in their discussion Still that is ONLY one
subdivision this one stratum, and there are beds
Of Cors oundn other limestone, and in the oldest
Trenton limestone like the ancient reefs-the spc-
cies being for the most part different in each.
There are found in the same series of the Siluran
strata in England corresponding lime-Stones nj
different stages, and occurring in the position in
which they originally grew. They have the point
of attachment at the bottom Of the stratum, and
the upper part continues to be uppermos,. Or if
they are herhisphercal, those which radia,c, YOU
must determine by the manner of radiation which
is the base and which the upper surface of TIE
coral and thus determine whether it is in lis or
gina position or has been overturned. We often
see them in their natural position, as they grew,
cne upon the other. Ia several cases we find them
broken and threwn over, if by the force Of the
waves. In both cases the same coral grew in ore
case at the surface in reach OF the waves, and in
The other near the surface because is known that
coials 10 not grow nthc deep, dark, cold unfatll-
omabie abyss of the sea- but within 100 feet of the
Some of these cor;ls are as large as this table as
at Williamsyiilc, near Buffalo. In following for
lcng distance, as may be done in England, Nor
way and Sweden, this strata of fine sand which
has formed this group, youiind noothcr fossils bu,
the Graptohte. belonging TO the zoophytcs Of
which the living specimens found in muddy
bottoms. Beneath that fine mud is example
OF fine sand being deposited for ii will not go ON
IN deep water. 1t you consider the laws which
regulate E,atler falling through fluids. you will c,-
silly see the truth of this the doctrine of terminal
veoclieS explains it. For example, if YOU let 4.
bullet of lead one inch in diameter fall through the
all at the density at which exists at The surface Of
the earth twill never fall beyond given rate it
wll fall faster and faster from the hand until it
reaches rate of 300 iectin second when it will
never fall faster; for the force of gravity is a corr
slant force. bnt the resistance of the air increases
IN gcomclrcal ratio. So in water: bullet
would never fall greater rate than 81 feet IN :,
second; while it would fall 900 feet in air it vii
only fall s.. in IF YOU reduce the ball &c
lead from an inch to hundredlh part of an inch
in diameter it will fall only one inch in second
instead of s. feet; and we shall find that if j,
be still farther reduced its maximum rate of de-
scent will be much less.
But fine mud such as large rivers deliver ipto
the ocean, only falls at the rate of about two feet
az hour. Now. suppose the mud to be directed
INTO current like that of thu Gulf Stream for e%
ample Which runs at the rate of three miles in IN
lour--snppo>c tito be delivered into the ocean bv
IN" Amazon or some other great river, and thrown
zinl" this culyent, twoud be carried 1000 miles
by the Gulf Stream in moHth, While it was sink
600 feet. which is ma depth at all inhcoce and
wc have reason to believe that the, influence of the
GllfStream extends for at least 600 fee, below
Tie surface. Us IS shown by its action upon ice
hcrgs. think Mr. REDFlELD will agree within.
in saying that the action of the Gulf Stream on
enormous floating masses flee extends TO that
depth. When therefore the mud might be carried
so far, see no why i, NAV not be carried
from the Equator tot the Pole bythis influence
Will no" offer Il few observations ON The infer
whirhmay be edsccd from these fossils found
IN the ancient rocks, concerning the state Of the
Globe at ,hoSev very remote periods Even the most
trivial circumstances derive great degree of In
'crcSt from their mere antiquty-,hev become cor
sccratcd, as il We're, bytimc. These who walk in
the streets of Fompc will look with the deepcs,
interest and the most lively curiosity upon the
mere rns= left By carriages eli hecn hundred wears
ago, which now aSsdiStinctin their impressions
as ii they had rolled there yesterday: they viii
look with pleasure ana interest on the ScrbblingS
in Greclot the soldiers, on the walls of the ba.
racks in this ancient city, which has remained
turied under volcanic ashes since Sc remote Il pc
rod How much more interest will the naturalist
feel when he examines the remains Of creatures be-
lieved to hayc tour>hcd on the carth-in water Ut
on land-thou>ands of wears ago--aS he finds them
IN these racks We lavcbccn considering.
Let us, then, endcuvor TO draw some differences
from The. study OF these animals. respecting the
state of the planet=where they lived-how far il
was similar TO. different from that in which it
now exists. Take first the incertejrated, aud
then the rerts5rated animals. Here upon the Ia.