New-York daily tribune., 1851-08-27

|
| When the foundations OF the earth were laid, we
| know who u was that measures the waters IN the
hollow os his hand and meted out the Heavens WIN
| q span and ccmpreheIded the Dust oil the Edfln ~
measure, and v eght1 tAe hOu''la4i's III se'i 49,
| the hills II 4 balance ,
| here then. We see harmony IN the winds. design
in the mountains. order IN the sea arrangement IN
! the dust
| Here are signs Of beauty and works OF grandeur
| ana We may fancy, that IN thls exquisite syS-
TEN Of 4captaiIons and compensdilons' We can a.
| most behold III the Red and Mediterranean seas
the very waters that held IN the hollow OF the
| Almighty hand. when He weighed the Andes ana
balarcsd the hills II AREA
Caspian sea- and embraces an area OF ene HiiiuoA
and a half Of geographical square miles OF l4nl we
see the water surface exqulsely adjusted .iia' II
Is lust sufficient. and more, 10 return 10 the ato>-
pLere vapor. exactly as much moisture y 'He al
nCsphere lends N ranto the rver OF that oasln
Thus We may regard the Mediterranean the Red
Sea and Persian Gulf as RELAYS, distributed along the
route Of these thirsty winds. t0m the continents Of
the other hemisphere TO supply them with vapor, or
70 restore 10 them that which hey have leit oehlnd
10 fceG The sources Of The Amazon, the Niger and the
Congo.
trbuiiou of moisture over tie earth. We may llken
them 10 messengers that are heavily tasAed. being
laden tn as much a they can bear. The load OF
waller given 10 them to cary away from te sea mo
the recesscs OF the most distant mountains becomes
too heavy and then It l. pTecipitated as mountain
torrents. There i then changt OF temperature
the atmosphere Is invgorated and Straightway ihe
winds commence TO LIT up their load again. taking
uu, as before. LARGE portion Of that which they had
lust lei down 10 rest.
The change OF temperature from day to day, ac-
composites important ends IN the grand arrangement
for giving circulation TO moisture and rams 10 the
earin According to The beautiful series OF oDserva-
tions which, at my request, brother ohcer' con-
Quoted upon the habits OF the MISSISSIPPI RIVER, as
at passes Memphis, IN Tennessee, 1t appears tha'
only about one-sixih Of the water that l. raned IN
that valley reaches the ocean through that rVer;
The fye-slxihs are taken up again INTO the ar and
are carried Of IN the general Channels OF cuculdUoI
To- supply other systems OF lake and Tlyer basins.
Tie hypothesis that the winds from South Atrra
ana america do take the course through Europe and
Asia which have marked out for them is supported
bs 80 many condolences to say the least, that We
are entitled 10 regard II as Tsobably correct, until
tram Of concidences as striking can be acduced 10
show that such Is not the case.
Returning once more to a consideration OF the
geological consideration Of the agency OF the winds
IN accounting for the depression a. the Dead sea we
now see the fact most suklngly OTOdghl out before
us that if TIE Straits Of Gibraltar were 10 be barred
up. 80 that no water could pass through theH, we
should have great depression OF water level IN the
Mediterranean. Three times as much water Is eyap-
oraed ron that sea as Is reEned to II through the
rivers.
portion of water evaporated from It Is probably
raned Gown and returned 10 II through the rivers
But--supposIng 1t TO be barred up-as me demand
upOn iCr yalod would exceed the supply by rams
and rlyCrS. i would commence 10 dry up ASlt snAS
down. the area exposed Tor evaporation would de-
Geciease The supplies 10 the nvefs would diminish
|
| evaporation and precipitation an equilibrium, As IN
! he d. al and Caspian Seas Dui for aught ~e know
tie water level Of the Mediterranean might, before
| tiis equilibrium were attained, have reached stage
! far hcllnd that Of the Dead sea level
The Lake Tadjura is now IN the act of attaining
! such an equilibrium. There are connected Win ~
the remains Of channel by when The water ran into
| the SEA lis surface IS now 500 feet below the sea
level and Al = setting up. II not N the Dead sea,
co We not III ihc valley OF this lake fnd utcroppng
some reason for The Questlon-Nhat have the winds
! had 10 90 Nth the phenomena before u
The winds, IN tins sense are geological agents ol
great UoWcr II Is not impossible but that they may
aaord US the means OF comparing directly geology
cal events which had taken place IN cur hemisphere,
/ witt geological events III another
The tops OF the Andes we're once AZ the bottom oi
the sea Which Is The Oldest formation that OF the
Dead Sea orthe Andes II me former De the oloeI @
| then the climate Of the Dead Sea must have been
| Internationally yery cihcTent rom What It now IS.
Ia regarding he winds geological agents. We
can no longer consider Them a. lhe iyQe oi H'laou
lty We rather behold them In the light OF ancient
and faithful chrOuIccTs. which upon beng rightly
consulted VIII reveal to Us truths which nature has
written upon ihelf wing IN a. 'S,r , , ,u
enduring as she engraytd the history OF gcoioS
I zeal events upUn the tablet OF The rock ,
Professor Rodgers has suggested The ldea tAdt
| ;hc salt of tie sea l. washed INTO Il by The rams
and rivers from the land. The waters Of Lake
I Tlucaca. which receives the drainage OF 'he great
inland basin o. The Andes, are ony DFat atNSh' lp.
salt. Heucc Ne mty iuier ihii lhlS h.'Nt n1S .@ot @
been Standing long enough 20 become bfne, Lac lhe
waters oi The Dead Sea consequently II belongs 10 a
more recent period.
on tie other hand. It VIII also be interesting 20
feai that NY friend, Captain Lynch, informs me taa'
lu 5 exploration OF the Dead Sea, he 81" what he
took 20 be the Day bed OF a river. 'Aai once ho"e1
from A..
ArG thus We have two more stout Inks and strong
io add 20 The clIcUmstanil.l evidence gong to Sus-
taln the testimony OF this strange and Ike ~lineS,
vi ich have called mp rom The sea to TESTIFY nm tbs
pIe>oncc concerning The works OF nature aIi to .ell
us which be the older. the Andes watching tle stars
with ihoir hoary heads, or the Dead sea sleeping
uron Is cubic beds OF crystal salt.
NJ + MAuRY, |. ;. y.
Nrtoas' O'scTtator.. June, 1881.