Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-08-02
VOL. XIII, NO. 3S.---WHOLE NO. 223s

collapsed, forming the beds oflskes ar pro.
truded outward and upward, forming eleya.
ted plains and mountains. Hence the gran.
lite rock is both the lowest and the hiehes,
in its position, of all the geological forma.
tons.
Again, the masses of granite rock
thrown up in the form Of mountains in q
heated state, must cool when exposed to the
heated atmosphere, aud in cooling must al
SO contract. Cracks or seams were thus o.
pened transyersely across the spurs or chains
OF the mountains, extending quite down to
the fluid mass beneath. Then, by subse.
quent pressure of that mass, an effusion OF
melted minerals was injected into those O.
penings, forming the Traps, Basaltic, and
Porphyritic rocks. This melted material
came from deeper source than the origin.
al Granite, being Of somewhat different
composition, and thus were formed the
dykes, or veins, which pervade the Granite
rocks. Sometimes these trap rocks them
selves have again been broken, by internal
agitation, and the openings by materials OF
a still lower source, bring along with them
the precious or baser metal, which from
their specific gravity, would sink lowest in
the melted mass beneath.
Besides the thousands of extinct volca-
noes, on the surface Of the earth, there are
at this day, more than team three hundred
thai are now active, and have, from time to
time in The history of man, emitted forth
masses of fluid matter, sometimes in quanti-
ties sufficiently large to form immense riv-
ers of melted lava, extending in some in
stances hundred miles in length, and
twelve miles in breadth, melting down hills
and filling up valleys in their course, aud
building out the coast for several miles into
the sea, setting the ocean boiling, so that
thousands of fishes have risen to the surface
aud been thrown upon the shore by the
waves of the heated and angry ocean, actu-
ally cooked and ready for the palate Of the
eplcure.
"The breaking through of the floor of
the ocean, and its elevation hundreds OF
feet above its surface, producing islands in
a day, at various points-the elevation of
more than one hundred and fifty miles OF
the coast of South America by the throb OF
an earthquake--the gradual depression OF
one coast of Norway and the corresponding
elevation of the others to the height of some
two hundred feet carrying with it the re-
mains of animals of species now inhabiting
the ocean, aud many other similar phenom-
ena, are sufficient to convince us that the
earth is still fluid at the centre, and the per.
petual mountains, and the everlasting hills,
instead of being based upon solid under
pnning, rest upon yielding foundation.
"The same fact is shown likewise by the
phenomena connected with tho boring oil
arteslan wells, and the sinking of mines, and
and the temperature constantly increasing
about one degree for every forty-6ve feet Of
descent.
AT this rate, water would be at the
boiling heat at little more than one mile
from the surface of the earth, and at the
same ratio of increase, every known sub.
stance would be in fluid condition at less
than fifty miles below the surface. Now,
should we allow the crust over the fluid
mass of the earth to be two hundred miles
in thickness, and then contrast the globe
with an egg, it will be found that the shell
Of the egg is full five times thicker in pro-
portion to the diameter than the crust OF
our planet"
Perceiving that this object is creating
some interest in the reading circles, we
have felt it our duty to copy these extracts,
from source of admitted respectability.-
Between Professors Sillmau and Boynton,
there is similarity of views which canno,
fail to impress the reader.