New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-26

tney must Dc river soon
their level, whatever it Is, and then it will over.
flow the surrounding country. The mouth OF thu
river must be pushed farther and farther, until the
alluvum reaches the Gulf stream, and then i, viii
be stopped. This has already happened to tie
Mic: where the Delta is now found 10 be carried
of aterally instead Of beng pushed farther into
the sea; and so it must be eventually to the Mis-
sissippi.
II is found ths, wherever there is a bar in ryer
the water just above will remain s,agnan, for dis
lance up the river, until line drawn from the ton
of the bar will strike the bottom OF the river
This explains the fact-tbat when person j,
drowned from our wharf in the fall, i, OF hsppen,
thar the body is not found ill spring aaa then il
is found TO have foaed no farther than Governors
Island-becaase the tide is not as strong as usual.
BY reason of the bar.
This aliuvium increases greatly in amount by cuI.
tivation SO that the country is settled, more
must be swept Of and the Mississippi slls up faster
than before.
At some an,ecedent period, though i, is no.
known when, there swept over the north part Of
this Continent and Europe tremendous torrent
from the north Mr.. Lyell stated that i, had
transported no cks frsm the north OF Europe the
southern portion; and here we observe evidences
of the same fact, for great rock at least was
swept from the north and lodged upon Mr.. Pier
points garden in Brooklyn There is doubt of
this, because under these boulderS they are
called, is found alluvium. In digging well, more
over, on the Island not long ago, one of these
boulders had to be blasted and beneath it was
found beautiful sea-beacb, covered with pebbles,
and affording indubtable evidences that such
torrent has occurred The direction of the tor
rent is found to have been always the same aud
as their original position is approached the rocks
are found to be more and more angular.
Now there is but power known that could
have transported these rvcks and that Is ice. The
power seems too enormous for wafer to have pos
sess-d sut it is found tina, in large lcebergs there
are rocks of the same size in the process of being
thus transported. Glaciers are found 10 have been
pushed forward, carrying with them moran, as sis
called, containing rocks as large as these. But it
still seems wonderful what could have caused such
precess-such freezing and thawing as would
have been necessary for it. II has been supposed
that the Sun once gave US less heat than 1t docs
now We see, indeed, other stars growing less
bright and finally disappearing and 1t may DO
that our Sun was thus deficient in fuel, though
even then it is not easy see how the oater could
have got to the North, to be there frozen.
The direction ofthis current is also established,
by observing, as may be done even on this island,
grooves in the rocks all extending in the same di.
recton, and this, TOO, independent of the cleavage
OF the rock. Capt. Basil Hall first discovered
this fact upon this island, and pointed 1t out to the
Lyccum. This seems to establish the fact that tho
rocks were thus transported by great icebergs
| from the North, and the groves thus cut upon
| them.
The subject of glaciers is now undergoing in
vestgation in Europe. No distinct morain, as
| DR.. S. knew, had been discovered in this country
though they have been seen upon the Grampian
Hills.
The springs which run into rivers often sap
mountains and thus them to tumble down.
| A geoogisr once warned the dwcller. under
mountain in Switzerland that it would fall before
many years. They dsrsgarded his warning and
were soon after crushed by its downfall.
Valleys are usually formed by rivers but they
are also formed otherwise. The valley at Ian.
caster, Pa exhibits the strange appearance of
| river coming out of a mountain crossing a valley
and again going iRto mountainous country This
is pulling fact, and DR.. S. said he could explain
it only by supposing that the valley one of de.
preston, having sunk after the river had eut its
course.
The manner in which rivers cut their way
through mountains is sometimes inexplicable as
is the case with the Hudson at the Highlands.
The same thing may be observed at Harpers Fer
ry in Virginia
Beyond all doubt, Dr.. S. said in closing, the tme
must come when all these highlands at the North,
and near the head waters of the Mississippi, would
be worn away, by the action Of the atmosphere and
other agents. How long this would require OF
course no one could tell.
The subject Of his next lecture will be Earth
quakes, Volcanoes, &c.
GENERAL ScorT.-To an invitation to attend
tba a;ya kenrucky
Wing members of Congress, General Scott re-
turned the following answer:-
DETROIT, September I'D 1912.
GENTLEMEN: Your letter of the 7th instant,
addressed to me at Washington, has followed me
to this distant region
With your invitation requesting my preseace
at the entertainment about to be given by the
Wings of Ohio to the Wings Of Kentucky, who, III
l64O, so magnanimously postponed their hrst
choice fer the Presidency, am highly honored;
and if it we're compatible with my position as
federal officer, should certainly be in the midst
of you on The interesting occasion.
With one candidate for the Presidency, and the
best interests of the country at heart it ought not
to be doubted that the Wigs, appealing TO the
virtue and intelligence of the people, will be as
successful in I844, as they were i'll 1910 -Whcth-
err that one candidate be- all indications seem 10
determine, heutuCAy hIuslriouS SUI, vi any ohc
of hundreds of his followers, my prayers for
Wing triumph will be ardeat and unceasing.
| have the honor to remain, gentlemen, with high
consideration, your friend and fellow citizen,
WINFIELD SCOTT,
Messrs ]. II. Crane, S. Forrer, H. G. Phillips,
R. Green, D. A. Haynes and Charles Anderson,
Corresponding Committee.
20 The ERIE CANAL beyond Rochester was
closed the Rochester papers saving that boats