New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1842-03-18
ions in dnadrupeds and other beings which sue

~ ~. e ~. .rcrio1J- parts OF the country ht
fre.h formations do appear sut;icieA ms
depression 10 give the proper aPPearance=oi= ''i'
| ancient lakes. -,f
There il no doubt that the superior upheayat=0t
tho Southern part Of the country was what caused
the drainage OF the Lake and the excavation OF tue
valleys which are cut through them, producing
Whist i called TIC Lacp.triue formation. Il W.
snlplv take. for granted he upheayal OF the Whole
district (Which need surprise one. FOR >ia!i
have occasion 10 show thar far more extensive NJ
heavals above the Icye OF the sea, are nor gong
oils) We need only suppose a series OF movements
ssch az are dernonstr atcd 70 have taken place. To
have raised the Southern portion ia greater rate
than the Northern.to ind easy explanation Tor
these geographical phenomena.
nave now stated that cote nlrorneously with
these mighty changes physical and geographical,
there went on a series OF revolutions II organic
life. am not going 20 enter IN the present lee
ture upon the difficult problem Of t'le=or1gIn OF
granite. We must take the granite a. Il l IS III
the, country lis are made Of it. and lakes haze
bccl. followed out Of il. vii come at onc",
then. 10 the Iac1lstrine period The lakes We're
nhabite BE- ldiiiercut sci OF he!l-rsh,ot NOUS
cuIar animals. watc-brds. crocodiles and turtles
from any tina, now exist in=that part OF rance
There are now no such animals once absunded
in the ancient lakes OF Auyergne. We had their
rern.in@ we'll PRESCRIBED The various strata ne
tortoise which then existed is notnow tobe tound
! NAV remark, too that there have been dlsccV-
cred the skeletons of some thirty or forts qaadrn-
ped, to -nich Cuv1ER gave many different
narnes as the P;.I;eotherun Anoplot!lcrufl: Nc,
which need notbe mentioned j he lalnoiherunl Is
an Intermediate species between the apr and the
Rhinoccros, and the Anoplotherla has some reia-
ton 10 he same animals and also 10 tie hog tribe
= #,,t u1.I. tDtiDi IN
the ncghborhood Of Paris. which exist
lAoug6 not IN Mat yeeion-ls for instance, the
species Of Oppossunl, which exists onl:in this
country and Australia. On the whole. there are
about fifty species OF qladrupeds discovered, some
Of which are i4s=larse as the=Rhinoceros. need
not saw that 1. single jaw. or even sometimes a
single tooth Is quite sufficient in the hands OF
Naturalist 10 decide The species Of these Mamma
la These animals were doubtcclly waa!icttdowf
~ the swelling OF the rivers, just they're liable
to be now We have no hesitation in suyng that
these Fifty species Of quadrupcds have now passed
away from the globe. SoEsc might doubt our
ability gay thiS;=but little consideration oi=the
fossils found will be sufficiently convincing.
have procured drawings of one two shells which
are there .ound-aS. for instance the P2eaorb1S
whic abounds at prcscni in the lakes of North
America, and which once existed in the lakes OF
France and arc now found in the lie
l0lcdta IA fresh watershed which i common
here and i'll Europe was a>o#to b. met IN the old
Lacustrinc formation OF France. Any naturalist
will be easily convinced that these shells
extinct in that REGION, and noonc will be 50 Skcp-
tical a not rcadil, grant that wc are safe IN
saving ,haihc l'al,rotheriunl, the Nlegathcrium,and
many other large quadrurcds which CrvifR DIS
covered and compared, now#loSt, aud nave
been permitted by The Author of Nature to=dic ont
L, Il. -, ~
world of this region, To which We are carried back
by the geological monuments o, this scene.
The ncxtpcriod of the ancient volcanic rocks
Of Mount Dor was when lhcy produced q perfectly
distinct race OF quadrnpcds, OF which believe
only one has been found to resemble those al The
former period All the genera different, and
ullnos, all of this period arr Of existing genera,
but not to be found in that part of Europe. We
ind the rhnoccros, the elephant the hIppopota-
mus the bear, and others, which never within his
,orcal times have peopcd tina, cold region ne
beaver which is found is not the same as that now
common to Europe and North america, and so
with vast multitude OF! others.
Put you NAV ask how we should have these ios-
sis remaining in volcanic rocks--llow they
be preserved if llcy were embodied in sheet of
red -ho, matter Us from furnace 1t is casy='o
explain how this might happen. In all volcanoes.
where the avas icldspathc, there arc great
floods lakes which exist III the cralerS are sud-
denly voidcd as happened III .l.ina when floods
issued from i, which swept away rocks and quad
lupcds with ease. Showers OF ashes also tall and
often surprise wild animals-dc<troy, bury and
preserve them. In this way il j, thai Sc find the
skeletons of 50 many quadrupcds ent"mbed III the
ancient nShcs-cong Generates as llleyarc called
the rocks being formed of the pebbles carried
down By THESE floods.
But before speak further OF the quadr9Peds oi
that period, all OF which are extinct let me
describe mere nnute.v The operations OF th'zilr7i
perod-,he first gradual filling up OF the lakes and
The formation of the Lacustrine strata then we
will speak OF lheo gin OF thc=volcanlc mass ana
OF the animals buried in it. Let us first ASK how
these ancient lakes werciillcd up.-NNe fad around
the borders. and under the other strata. beds OF
pebbles which lave been derived from llc round
ing of fragments torn from rocks in the neishhor-
hood; and there is this remarkable circumstance
connected with il, that no gcologiSt has ever de-
tcc1ed n sing lie pebble of volcanic origin IN these
c@n.lomcr,,cS. Every one knows that II a river
flows from acountry Astounding IN particular r-ch>'
ii Will OFF and carry along portions=ot them,
dtscharcing them near the shores OF the sea lhe
fine mud is carried GU, greater distance. Now
there are vast piles of volcanic rocks, some soft
ard others hard and capable OF being rounded
though they are sometimes h!Adled feet thick,
not one Siound III the old gravel beds OF the La
cuStrnc formation. he inference Is obvlous-
tina, not one r0icaaic eruption hGd occurred any
more than Epon the borders OF Lake Superior,
which is Il country without volcanic rocks. lils
negative fact uonc proves that in the first period
the region tranquil and no volcanic crnptions
had occurred.
The gravel bed. at the bottom OF the lake soon
became fine SAM! and passed into fine IL
some sand was carried 10 greater distance as you
.nn nN 500. "a lir rnnlls nl IL al the mouths of