Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-02-28


quill. All the islands discovered by navignors in
the Pacific are either composed of coral reefs or
are of volcanic origin. SO are nearly all those
south of Asia, in the Indian seas, the Philippine
Spice, Loo Chop lslnnds--Sumatrn, Java, Borneo
aud New Holland. Thus TOO may The same ngen-
cies he traced in the Atlantic through the Cape
lie Verdelsands,up through the middle Of Greece
| in Palestine and Central Asia; and in tho other
direction to Kamschutka and back to Bherng's
J Straits
| The extinct volcanoes, us they are called, nre
! equal in number, and even more numerous than
those in an ernptive state All along the banks of
the Rhine, and to the centre OF France may be
seen the craters OF hundreds of extinct volcanoes
! with lips as perfect as in those now in action
| Loose scorG are found around them and in many
cases they have stopped rivers filed up lnkes,und
caused other wonderful changes in the Earths
structure Sill we have ~ history OF their nc
ton no tradition or story of their eruptions has
| survived. Even julius Cesnr, who travelled
among them and planted his camp at tho foot of
! one OF the largest, makes no mention or even nj
| fusion TO them and yet acute and obseryant a
! traveller would Scarcely have omitted il, had any
! such eruption taken place within acknowledge Of
! his time. But all along the Rhine, through Hun =
! gnry, Trnnsyvania, and Catalonia as well as in
Palestine Syria and Central Asn, there is evidence
| that volcanoes have existed as powerful in their
| action MS NeSuviuS or Ktna. We are told by
Darwin. who travelled in that region, that in the
centre of South America near the Equator, may
lie seen two or three hundred Of these extinct vol
| canoes.
1t is well established, concerning volcanoes,
! that many of them have n submarine origin that
/ they began their action NJ the bottom of the sea,
and went OIL piling up their matter, until they fl
nally rose above the surface and constitute islands.
This is the history OF II multitude of volcanoes,
nor is there amy reason in nature why they should
not break forth Mt the bottom Of the Ocean, The
nmpp- @ oG tbis yOlcupir ion ma In in
icired from the consideration, that for every hun.
dred feet of water, there is pressure OF fifty
pounds upon n square inch and that the sea is
from four to five miles in depth and yet against
this immense force the internal matter is thrust
forth with tremendous velocity. In this way in
1881 an island arose off Sicily; but lie volcanic
action soon subsidized and the island has now sunk
beneath the surface of the sea.
We will now pass from these to the rocks upon
the land, which have the ssme origin, though its
action is not seen The trap-rocks, porphyry,
serpentue and soap-stonr, are ignrous or volcanic
rocks and they may he met in almost every por
ton Of the country. The Palisades on the Hud
son are splendid specimens Of the trap rocks
There is also n long range running across New
Jersey, and the same may be met in various parts
Of New nglund-especially in Massachusetts 49,
and in some of the Western States The trap.
| rocks all present evidence that they have been
forced from the abyss below by the action of VOL
canic fires Granite is now generally assigned to
the surne class. The imporrnt fact is also 0scer-
tanned tllot all the mountains on the globe have
been formed by the elevation Of the surface thro'
the action Of volcanic fire.
Prof. Silliman then went on to show how far
the evidence in favor of this igncUus origin was
decisive and satisfactory. The stratifed rocks
pierced by veins OF granite, and granite beds ira
versed by veins of mica, quartz, fedspar, and 9th.
er CompOncnls. The rocks near Boston and Sa =
| lem which are found ntersected by the most beau
tiful veins of basnlt, were all placed III the same
category, and regarded as strong evidence of the
/ correctness of thsvis They all establish the
two great facts of elevation and subsistence; aud
observations upon Mont Blanc, the highest peaks
! o! the White Mountains, and OF .hc Andes in
South America, tend to confirm the same.
He then alluded to the metallic veins about
whose origin there has been much speculation
They are usually met in the earliest rocks and
! passing the next class they stop at the secondary
Fissures have been found in the rocks and thepf
veins deposited either rising in submalion in
! the form of vapor-or by the action of gnvaniC
power. The doctrine that thei spring from inf
traton is now given up. Whatever their orlgir
may have been, their uses in human society anC
the aid they have bestowed upon the advancement
of civilization and all useful arts, ure well known
next ask your attention TO the .class of rocks
which lie upon these, gneiss, mica, slate, horn
| bcnde, &c. These which are called stratlfieC
rocks are TO be found extensively in NewEngand
IN the Alpine regions of New York, md in tho
Allegheny Mountains, aud they figure largely il
the general structure of the world. They lie il
flakes, which are easily separated from each Othe
and are thus extremely valuable for guarrying -
Lyell calls them metamorphous rocks. No re
mains of living beings ever found in The EARL
est rocks; the Inference of course is that such be
ings were not in existence when the rocks wert
formed.
\ | A diagram was then exhibited to illustrate TIT
a.. al.
and the mountains upon its suriace TO show tina
the power which has thrown up these peaks
not as great as might M first he supposed since tn
highest elevations on the surface of The Earth d
not bear as great proportion TO its whole mass n
} do the roughnesses upon the rinds of an orang
to lis bulk; and single grain of sand upon tn
surface OF two foot globe would he proportion
ably larger than the Himmelaya Mountains.
! In Italy, near Naples, are found The remains G
! a temple, supposed to he that of Jupiter Scraps
! These columns Mr. LyelI has examined, and tn
! results arc 10 be found in his works. As near a
can he ascerained, the temple WAS erected at abor
1 the commencement of the Christian Era, as th
I names Of several Roman Emperors are found en-
craven upon its columns showing that it wa
5 contemporaneous with them. Ii was probably de
stroyed not earlier than the third century, by n
= very violent CONFUSION; else none Of its column
6 would be now standing. In The limestone OF thes
e columns are found the perforallons and shells
e the liIhodomous fish, which have The power
} whether mechanical or chemical is not known
II of boring into rock. These perioraons are made
t. the fish gets in and cannot get out again, which
/ his food comes in from the sea- is mater of bl
u little consequence. He dies aud there leaves hi
g shell. Now here is decisive evidence of the doc
= Urine Of subsistence and elevation. OF course til
J. columns when built were above the waves bl
r they have been below, as The existence of thes
n perloralions abundantly proves. These column
[ were not discovered until forty years ago.