Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-08-21
The Drying up of the Sea.

There is an interesting discussion in progress
in the National hteIhgencer, respecting the pro-
gress of the coral formations reducing the
waters of the sea to solid land. w. D. Porter
introduced the discussion, and he has been re-
piled to by H. R. Schetterly. Mr.. Porter main
tains that the Ocean has diminished in liquids,
by the amount of solids formed by the zoophites
and shell-fish, and that the shores and lines of
coasts have changed their form in consequence
of the subsidence of water caused by this lin
itaton. The zoophites surround the world in
belt extending 80 degrees from the equator each
way. They are constantly forming solids from
the liquid ocean. They have already formed
sixteen millions of square miles, And liquids
sgs5hssR g5saR.r .re4Aced to solids gsneralIv onannv lau
/ vvhos- roiIea ss'.ny s4lFsfs4ta4 X aonr
stands many millions of miles of firm rocks, their
bases fast to old oceans sand, their tops peering
above old oceans blue waves. On these islands
man has already placed his habitation, rearing
all that man requires in food and luxury from a
prolific soil and balmy atmosphere. Yet still
He who first created the zoophite and taught
him his work, still continues him to ncessant
toll, to pursue his work and build up reef after
reef; island succeeding island, and finally a
continent succeeding them, Cast the eye along
the zone herein mentioned, and it will be seer
the zoophites are stretching their habltations
from the coast of China and India, towards the
NoF IL thn
they are pushing out Florida towards the BAHIA
mas, clear to the coast of South America, hedg-
ing in the Gulf of Mexico and caribbean sea-
These two sheets of water must eventually be-
come lakes the zoophite is still at work more
rapidly in the gulf, near the coast OF Mexico
than elsewhere. | account for this from tle
warmer temperature of the waters and suDter'
ranean fires, which no doubt exist beneath the
Gulf near the crust of the earth. We Judge
this fact from the bitumen constantly floating uT
from the bottom of the gulf, much OF which !.
seen adhering to the coral formations
Mr.. Schetterly in reply maintains, that IhougI
there is subsistence of waters, it must be iron
other cause.-the actual quantity OF water Oh
the plobe has not diminished, He thinks dI
mnuation Of the sea would diminish the amoun
raised by evaporation, and falling III rain, an'
would be destructive to vegetable life. ThI
sort of reasoning is not satisfactory against
matter of fact. Should great changes take plac
on the face of the world, Providence has resour
ces to make one thing balance another, An
,aoencies of which we now have no idea, Nigh
come in, to do the work Of sprinkling the earif
after the submarine laDdmakers had eXhauste
considerable portion of the sea. 1t is evldeT
that the world is yet to subsist population Vastl
greater, than it now does and that God is NAL
ING room for them. And we read, that In tn
new earth which is to exist after the dssolutc
and reconstruction of this" There tcdS no mo-
, sea-"
And there may, for aught we know, be
gradual elimination in the sea, TO make way +
, the vast population which is to fill the world
, the miennal state. At least, we need n
shrink from allowing the actual progress
things towards such a result, to have its welg
on our minds, for fear that God cannot spare tt
, wasted waters, or cannot preserve the life al
o health of the world without them The ear
before the flood appears to have been wator'
in different way from what it is now' And
= very much limits the resources of Him who ma
n the world, and who set to work the zoophlV
IS making its solid land more ample, to aSsun
4 that He has no other means of watering the SO
" earth, than by devoung to it SO large prop
!. ,or oC the earth's surface, as is now covered
N the sea- Puritan Recorder.