Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-09-13

IT
ains and must necessarily break Bot how does this fact
tally with Lieut. Porisrs assertion that ranges Of mountains
are nothing more than multiplicity of cones II this
were the fact then every distinct would have its own
distinct strata heaved upwards and thrown from is centre
ouwads that is there would be conca strata dipping down
from the centre its apex, all round it. Will friend r. as
se that this is the case deny the conclusion thus drawn
from his premises
do not assert that all the minute characteristics our
globes surface their existence to its contraction ad-
the agency of dsntegraon, of running WATER OF earth
quakes Of volcanoes &C.; but the influence effects OF all
these and Of the latter in particular, is of comparatively
small amount and extent when compared to the effects pro-
duced by vastly potent INTERIOR yet slow, quiet
and unobtrusye agent All contend for h that the great
cause OF the outline of the present terrestrial surface, such
the sub.dng of all great bodies of water the existence Of
ranges of mountains volcanoes and earthquakes of
and caves the natural bridges in Virginia and Alabama,
&c. must be sought in something different from the doctrine
Of upheava and the condensation and consequent conrsc
ton of the earth will raonsy account for ALL while upheaya
will not account for any Of them.
Lieut. p refers to various volcanic regions which ge
neray located in mountainous countries that frequently
visited by earhquakes and he line of volcanoes
through the Gecian Archipelago, Ialy Sicily, Spain, Por-
tuga and thence the the Azores but though
there succession of in this line widely separated,
there is no chain Of mountains. He next TO earth
quakes and the upheaval of the coast around Vapa-
raso the height Of four feet in night, and says subse
quent examinations have shown that the coast for upwards
Of thousand miles had risen this height He also cites
the rising of the ancient Temple Of Scraps and the ada
cent to height Of twenty feet" Now to de-
rive any support in favor of the general doctrine Of upheavas
of continents and mountains from these appearances il
cessy prove that they have really been produced by
upheava Of those coasts instead Of by subsdng Of the bot,
tom Of the and that other region Of the eahs
surface has sunk proportionay admit that those coasts
rest upon vacuy equal in dimensions the volume Of the
raised But Lieut. p has already stated that the
is and has been subsdng the coasts Of other
tries where earthquakes and volcanoes comparatively
known, thus deprvDs himself Of the argument that because
they stand higher with regard to the level than
formerly, therefore they must have been upheaved Have
the last been upheaved without any sensible cause while the
former required the fghtu agency Of earthquakes Earth
quakes doubt by far the potent producing
extensive and sudden changes the surface Of our globe
and requires great stretch of creduy to admit that
part Of that surface may be suddenly raised by this
agency while another part suddenly subsidies and forces the
Interior melted matter under the raised part But this hypo-
thesis something very different from the upheaval Of all
islands, continents and mountains the GLOBE except those
raised zoophtes, which Of course be very low and
level Nor does this hypothesis nully my theory ALL nor
for the existence of earthquakes themselves as mine
does In confirmation Of the hypothesis just mentioned we
may cite The sudden sinking Of the localities Of Port Royal
and the ancient Tyre and cities of the plain the last now
covered by the Dead Sea- in addition to those formerly
stated.
As Lieut. Porter ntimates reluctance to pursuing this
discussion, may be proper add short summary of the
present state of the question Lieut. p assign the
agency of the upheava of mountains to volcanoes and Of
the upheava Of coasts continents and islands presume)
earthquakes But he has not attempted show why earth
quakes do shake mountains back into the aysses
meath them, they have done level plains
how the void filled up, there no vacuies beneath
has be tried to show how caves caverns and other familiar
appearances produced by upheavas Neither has he
signed any agency either TO volcanoes earthquakes and
be has made only assertion, namely that the idea Of
of the eahs surface cannot by any facts be sub
sanated negectng show that bodies do condense
when they rsdate heat that the earth radates none or
does adae that this radiation produces no effect upon
her volume On the other hand, be has made no effort
show that my theory inconsistent with Natures laws in any
respect that it will for the existence of earth
quakes and volcanoes Of mountains and Valleys of oceans
seas and lakes and the subsistence of their watery surfaces
and in fact for every appearance n the great outline of the
surface planet Lieut. p not to be blamed for this
neglect With such extensive of facts and know
ledge Of Natures laws be possesses he would have
pshed all this if could be done. He has done the best
the would admit; and
Who does all that can be done
Does well, acts noby
CANCELS could do no more"
About that cannon ball is unnecessary dispute since
whatever explanation given the appearance witnessed
capitalization producing regular forms and organizations affects
individuals of the animal and vegetable kingdoms well
Of the mineral Iii owing to the polarity Of atons
puscLes, f may call y and the condition unfavora
Bile is great and sudden reduction Of heat in the for
nation Of glass. The fragy of cast-iron is owing it,
sudden cooling preventing regular crystalline formation,
the impurities 1t retains too stupid to understand
however how Lieut. P explanation initiates against the
contracy OF the earh and still avos prouberances bel
surface He will not deny that the ball larger while ho
and diminished in size as it cooled.
Formation Of ice have been trying to comprehend how
my explanation would overurn Dr. Blacks theory Of aten
heat but really in this also dull Of appehen
sion. When child used to look into the brook running
past my fathers house, and in winter saw the bottom of
hny covered with very small cicles which presently ROSE
in small aggregated Masses which, uniting formed soil.
covering the surface first along the bank and where th,
sowe because where the faster the
triton of small developing calorc melted the ice for
"V'0 '.-~ ---o--r r~-------~ ii i.-..s tlc sam
next winter His experiment by exposing water In eas
Tor other vesse to gorfc mixtures furnishes an usor
for glass is Of the best conductors of heat in Nature