Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-09


compact materials; and be cites the fact that liquids and
bodies occupy les spaes in the d than in the ud
state All this 10 not disputed, that they build immense
walls and beds Of shells But did not know that SALT LINES
&c. exist in the ocean gaseous ud state
supposed the water simply held them in solution as his
holds his sugar suspended II right in this superstition
will be seen at once tha. these fish and insects do NOT d.
minish the actually existing quantity Of water ITSELF even
according to Lieut.. Ps showing. Neither am aware
that water can be sodfed either BY man, fish, or insect
cpt by sbsractng Of il calcc, and when this
stored il becomes liquid again il demonstrated that
lime &c. occupy less space when transmitted into shells and
rocks than in their natural state. appears, them that
Lieut. P theory cannot account for the subsdng of the
surface Of the ocean, long the shells and rocks remain
in it, and s depth and superficial continue the same
or 20 long as the capacity Of il basin remains the same
though superficial eI,sn. may diminish and We are forced
look for another cause.
That some parts of the ocean between ATTITUDES ago north
and south being gradually filled up BY coral rocks and
when raised the surface become and admits Of no doubt
but the materials Of which these walls ere built are mostly
taken from the bottom there and elsewhere OF brought by
rivers from distant countries, by the water holding them in
solution Constant encroachmenis also made upon the
great basin BY dspos Of auvion brought down BY these
rivers and deposited a their mouths but this would rather
tend 70 raise than lower the oceans surace
All volcanoes upheavs lava rocks, ashes c., and why
may not small islands be thus formed in the ocean But all
elevators thus formed Of comparatively small extent and
generally circular far history informs There has
been single instance, ar know, Of the uphea
sinking Of mountain chain Of any extent since the
existence Of man, Notwithstanding the which they
all attributed has been continually active since
while instances Of the sinking Of comparatively level spots
are by no unnotced This makes me think that the
theory Of upheava has besa handed down from one geolos
to another without due examination Lieut. p. very elo
queny refers the islands Of Madeirs Deserers Sicily
the Azores, &C., and he takes for granted that these and
all other potubences have been caused by upheavng
Lye and the great majority, yea all geologss agree
in that point He then absndons this subject irele
want and having nothing to do with coral formations true
but beg leave to call his attention back for this is really
the point in controversy between attempt to account
for the subsdng Of the surface Of the by theory the
direct contrary that Of upheav which he advocates and
for which his theory Of coral and shell formation appears
will BY admit that less water flows
in rivers now than formerly.
Lieut. speaks Of the rising Of the shores Of the Atlantic
and Mediterranean, and finally Of the whole eastern and he
might well have added Of the western continent also
and he says geoosss agree in attbutng this rising vol
action According to this theory, them the earth is
actually enargng her bulk and who knows but she may
theory conavenes every principle Of philosophy is uni
versay admitted that the whole earth in fluid
sae consequence Of intense heat and yet remains
% very great depth below the solid crust Them in order
that its surface might become sod have radated,
at least parted with, Of its heat and all bodies (no
cepting waer contract in proportion their heat is
diminished Now, then the surfaces Of oceans, lakes
and all bodies Of comparatively ssgnant water, would sub
side their bottoms to sink deeper into the earh with
out any upheava the surrounding land the loss Of
single drop Of water and the ear volume would decrease
If its heat diminished and the less consolidated parts
would sink like Plaos Atlantis, uha the solid and
rocky would stand firm and immovabe, even during earth
quakes as do the mountains. Would they not Let the
advocates Of upheava pease to solve the following queries
First il the islands and mountains have been produced BY
upheava what is it that supports them where they stand
Second these mountains and islands upheaved but
now have solid foundations BY what law Of nature those
foundations put there will say the law Of
fluids filed up the void with melted matter from other interior
parts Of the GLOBE and yet those parts did not subde for
then there be empty space under those parts equal
to the volume Of those mountains and islands. Third, if
there nothing but arches covering the spaces from which
the matter constituting mountains and islands upheaved
why have the dreadful earthquakes prevalent in VOL
canc countries shaking those mountains to their bases pre-
cpaed Of them back into the abyss beneah they
have some more level places!
veneate the great who have placed natural science
upon it's present advanced basis butam disposed adopt
their opinions without examination; and now proceed to
smpy and foy my theory. in few words as posi-
BILE and
l. great part Of the earhs surface presents indubtabe
evidence that it was enveloped in one ntermnable
ocean, particularly the Mississippi valley. In Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, the stones are generally
made less globular by the ation caused BY the
food; the alternate layers Of gravel. sand clay &c. indi-
the action Of wser plainly be doubted Both here
and in many other places high mountains immense
beds Of shells found which have been formed only
where they have been discovered These PLACES therefore,
submerged. Now, if the coasts Of oceans and
only upheaved the waters Of the rivers would be
turned back upon the land and lakes would be found
the mouths Of large rivers instead Of at their sources which
is not the And suppose that what now constitutes
the bottom Of the the level Of the earhs
surface and that only the mountains and islands, but
also the continents upheavedo which alternative
the advocates Of this theory necessarily reducedwoud,
say the least be absurd for, at this rats the earth would
constantly augment in ze without any acceon Of additional
matter, and become, were, merely inflated bladder.
Gravitation be law Of before this
take place any great Are the islands between sso
and south audes composed Of coral rocks Do coral
insects build walls and reefs above water Where do they
get the materials and how bring them up thought salt
water necessary their very existence Was the peak