Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1851-09-17
LITERARY NOTICE.

seek it rather in what is ssl&s& ysdy. Keep yauf
consciences clear, your c9AgsitSaeeh, and embrace
You; ,slsp'e ho";. in wise, sn.
Learn to make right use of fthe commonest
things worth looking at-dta6stOnes and weeds,
and the most familiar animals. zsageqd books, no,
forgetting the bes: of a There more true philos-
tic that ever wrote, and we would Be miserable crea.
lures without it, and none miserable than you.
Such is the beginning of book written by Scotch
man who commenced life in the humble occupation
of a stone quarter. Acting upon the advice which
he gives, and studying and observing while he work
ed, he has written, in style so animated and graph
upon subjects heretofore considered the dryest and
most repulsve, that the literary world lays aside the
latest production of the poet novelist to read Hugh
Mler's last work on Geology. His are the earnest,
truthful thoughts of the working mans Direct health
full mind not the morbid creations and hot-bed pro-
ductions of distempered Imagination. To him the
volume of is full of interest and beauty, and
well does DR.. Buckland declare that he would give
his left hand to possess such powers of description
this man. He has clearly demonstrated that to him
who studies nature Alright, there are
Books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.
While engaged in his humble employment, and
behoding huge layers of stone piled one upon anoh-
er he looked not upon them with a foolish face of
rustic wonder, or brute unconscious gaze, which
leave the mind vapd and unimproved but bearing the
torch of discovery to these remote parts of creation,
and beholding there the Footprints of the Creato
his mind is led not only from Nature up Natures
God,' as might be the case with mere superficial
observer, but minutey exploring what had before been
considered barren field, he makes such interesting
discoveries, that with the rat enthusiasm and ardent
imagination of true son Of science, and devoted
admirer of nature, he exclaims with Jacob at Bethel
Surely the Lord is in this place, and knew it not.
We are pleased with the frankness with which he
avows himself working man, as we'll as the mod
esty with which he presents his " fac,s constituting
the slow gathering of years. giving with hearty
goodwi his contribution to the general fund, hum
bly, hoping that they may serve as stepping stones
laid across, until such time Biologists of greater
skill shall have bridged over the gaps now existing
in that science.
Severing the rough stone, with the mason's ham,
mer he discovers the remains of pe:ri6ed 6shes which
he describes graphically that We scarcely need
his plates to give an accurate idea Of them. 1t
the Geologst to describe his 1chthyotes - stone
fish but his descriptions all given in plain sim
pie language, and are comprehensive by all. How
beautifully he apologies for his learned language and
jaw-breaking names:
Page 80. "Some Of my humble readers may pos.
sibly be repelled by these They are like all
names in science, unfamiliar in their respect mere
English readers just because they not for
England alone, but for England and the world.
am assured however, that they are all composed OF
very good Greek, and picturesquely descriptive OF
of the Ichthyolites, with thorn spine in each fin,
bears the name of Aeonthodes thorn like another,
with curiously fretted scales, has been named the
Glytolpis, carved scale. Such is the principle OF
nomenclature. The name is condensed description.
But though all the names mean something, they can
not mean great deal; and as learned words repel
unlearned readers shall take the liberty Of remind
ing mne of the humble class, that there is esiti-
mate connection between Geology and the dead Ian
guages. The existences of the Old Red Sandstone
had lived for ages and had been dead for myrads o
ages, ere there was Greek enough in the world to
furnish them with names. There is no working man,
if he be person of intelligence and Information,
however un!earned in the vulgar acceptation Of the
phraze, who may not derive as much pleasure and en-.
argement of idea from the study Of Geology, and
acquaint himself as minutey with its truths, as il
possessed of all the learning of Bentley"
vanced by miners in our own State, that nature is
still active, and that wonderful formations yet in
progress" He instances the hill Of Jorullo in the
neighborhood of the City Of Mexico:
cit is rarely that the Geologst catches hill iH
the act of forming, and hence the interest of this we'll
attested instance. From the period of the discovery
of America, to the middle Of the last century, the plains
Of Jorullo had undergone change of surface, anC
the seat of the present hill was covered by plantations
OF indigo and sugarcane, when, in June 1859. hollow
sounds were heard, and succession of earthquake:
continued for sixty days. to the great CONSERVATION
of the inhabitants. After the cessation cf these,
in period Of tranquility, on the 28th and 29th o.
September, horrid subterranean noise agaiI
heard, and tract four square miles in extent rose III
in the shape of dome bladder. to the height o
1910 feet above the original level Of the plain Th
affrighted Indians fled to the mountains, and from
thence looking down on the phenomenon, saw flames
issuing from the earth for miles around the newl!
elevated hi and the softened surface rising and fall
ing like that of agitated sea. and opening into nu
merous rents and fssures. Two brooks, which hat
watered the plantations, precpiated themselves int
the burning chasms. The scene of this singular even
was visited by Humboldt, about the beginning of tn
present century. At that period, the volcanic age
cies had become comparatively quiescent; the hill
however, retained its original altitude. A number o
eIler found the waters Of the ingulphed rvulets
Gaping, at high temperature. from caverns charge
with sulphureous vapors and carbonc acid gas Their
were inhabitants Of the country living at the time
who were more than twenty years older than the hill
of Jorullo, and had witnessed its rise.''
"The wonders of Geology exercise every facult
of the mnd-reason, memory, imagination; ;" the
are powerful stimuant to thought, and enlarge til
Intellectual domain. If in the true American spir
we should be asked respecting Geology, cut bono
(what is it good for y We can reply in the words
the author, that {" it has its cash value.' The tim