Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-12-02
The popular vote since 1928 for President ha
haen as follows
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

An article in the last number of the London Quarterly
view contains interesting recapulaton of discove
res bearing upon the science physical geography, together
with many curious and wonderful facts deduced from these
discoveries relative the history of the earh and the
rous forms Of organic existence of which different periods
has been the habaon We speak of these discoveries
recent for tie important Of them on which founded
the of fossil remains dates no further back than the
time Of Ouve who declared the silence of these speechess
oace be eloquent Of truth revealing events far anecedent
10 the date oil human eSlseEcea secret taomed
the wsest Of the East and which the scope of Grecan
and Roman learning rot broad enough to comprehend
In their times, in the tablets of which
writes the history Of the living forms that successfully
cd the earth before the sixth day OF the Creation dug
from the earth and quaed from the mine and exposed By the
torrent Blu, to them the record obscure and the phi
sophy Of day reserved the power which Imagination
has ascr!bed to the poet, Of discerning
I.. -" tongues in trees,
n Books in the running brooks, sermons in stones
And good in every thing"
Physical geography is the comprehensive OF all the
branches OF science for it embraces all matter, all its forms
Of existence ganized inorganic. "Earh air. and ocean,
with every thing of animal and vegetable life enanng these
great domains within the scope and constitute the science
ophysca geography The defines tobe the his
Tory Of the earth in ts whole material organzaonofs figure
and other conditions as planetary body Of the compost
lion, structure and elevation Of the continents and islands
which comprise its solid superfcies; of the extent depth,
da and other Of the and seas forming It's
liquid covering of the rivers and lakes which give circulation
through and its solid parts of the atmosphere
which envelopes it, and ministers largely ell natural phe
nonens OF the great physical elements of light heat and
electricity, in far they affect the conditions of
the globe and, finally, Of the innumeabe forms Of organic
existence dused throughout the whole Of this creation
To explore wide field the abors Of many minds and Of
many hands requisite and numerous societies have been
Organized with the sole object Of prosecuting separate branches
OF natural knowledge which the Of mankind appear
utterly Insignificant; and individuals devote their lives to
searches whose objects trivial almost provoke
derisor But the knowledge obtained by such mi
and aboous Investigations the science Of physical geo.
graphy its completeness, and, however much may
smile at the "Iea Of NJ Robinesu gathering up thou
sand species Of the genus in the single department Of
the Yonne, the interchangeable spider-colector will be
toned with honor in the annals Of science the "lustous
arschnologist.'
One Of the most interesting discoveries Of modern research
the fact demonstrated by Lye Darwin, and Others Of the
slow and continuous uphesvng depression Of large tracts of
land different parts Of the world resulting from the progress
Of subteanean changes Between the latitude Of the North
Cape and Of line drawn through Southern Sweden from the
Baltic TO the Ca,ega the land gradually rising at the
age rate Of about four feet in century while below that
southern limit there slow subsistence and gradual approx
nation Of the surface Of the land towards the level Of the adj
acent From this and similar phenomena occurring
elsewhere in South America, and the coral formations Of the
Indian and Pacific Oceans these biologists incline ascrbe
TO such gradual changes those great aspects OF the ea
surface which others attribute to the earthquake the torrent
and the volcano Mr. Lye refers the alterations Of climate
in particular regions successive periods to these changes
and shows how the elevation Of the land above the between
the tropics raises the temperature, and in higher s
udes depesses and hence accounts for those changes in
the nature and conditions Of organic life which are demon
ated by the fossil remains laid open to observation
to have occurred after the lapse Of long intervals in the
district Of country. Before the formation of the tertiary
strata Of the earhs surface northern hemisphere enjoyed
tropical climate and possessed the corresponding forms Of
animal and vegetable life But general upheanng Of the
land gradually produced the aspect which now wears and
with change Of climate brought about change in the forms
Of organic life These discoveries beautifully illustrate the
intimate connexion Of the physical sciences.
We have only space left to notice the curious questions
which the discoveries bearing the science Of Physical
Geography have suggested to philosophical inquiry They
cannot be negeny expressed than in the language Of
the Reviewer viz. whether there be any such absolute
ure Of species preclude the possibility Of unbroken
succession, by generation Of organic life, from its earliest ap
pearance the earth to the present moment admitting
limited tme and altered conditions Of the surface the ee
nents and causes Of progressive change or dsmssng this
doctrine, whether there be any true ascending scale Of pere
ton in successive creations and evidence Of higher and
consummse organization Of living beings rise upwards
in the osserous strata and bring the series the types and
forms which exist around ," An affirmative
impes the mind the anticipation Of future changes and adj
vsncemen in the form and conditions Of animal e in infinite
progression. journal Of Commerce.