Weekly national intelligencer., 1852-02-07
ssiITHsoNIAN LEcTUREs-GEoLoeY.

MITHs0NIAN LECTURES-GEOLOGf.
course OF twelve lectures Geology is now in pro-
gress a. the Smithsonian institution by Prof. sLLIaAs,
sen., % Yale College, the evenings of Monday, We'd
nesday and Friday, at "a o'clock, to continue through
the month of February
The principal object stated in the programme is to
explsn the structure of the earth has been
taine4by observation. Among the leading topics
constitution Of the earth chemistry
has mDught it to light.
Te of the mineral masses Of which the earth is
composed, and the order of their arrangement, with
ysW Of the powers by which the present condition Of the
gl0be has been produced.
The organic contents of the strata including both plants
and emals with the order Of their creation and sepul
1a economical applications Of geology in relation to
agcSlture, architecture engineering, and domestic
soqaomy. s sl
Ihe moral influence Of geology illustrating the exist
enceand attributes Of God and aordng satisfactory
that the history q ths creation, as contained in
N G1neeis 4 trne, -
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speaker stated that II his view, among the physical
sciences geology yields only astronomy in grandeur,
while tits richer in the variety Its objects
Astronomy depends for its observations upon
alone ded by the telescope while geology calls oil the
senses into action. The telescope reveals the remote
wordto man, while the microscope discovers organiza
ton nobjects almost infinitely minute when they
diverted into stone IRON That part of the earth
wchis accessible is called the of the globe
Thd sources of information regarding the structure of
the gbe derived from all excavations and perfora
TONS nd from all sections whether natural artificial
From the inclination of the strata.
Frn volcanic elections, and jets deau and outbursts
Of gal whether hot or cold.
Frm the igneous rocks, and from transported mate
rails
TIL elementary constitution of the earth is reducbe to
mHstible bodies-metallic and non-metaic-and to
thos} bodies which, by uniting with them render them
ncot otbustble; the number of elements known APP
sixty of which about threequarters metals
and there non-metallic combustibes, besides FIVE
oth@ bodies which, by combining with combustibes,
ren(er them incombustible.
Tie original state of matter is unknown to The
nebtar hypothesis splendid vision of splendid
mind and has been embraced by many distinguished men,
The original materials may have been elementary and
whether elementary compound they may have been in
nebuar codtion In either case their mutual action
whether by condensation chemical continuation would
produce g,at efux of light and heat and would result
production of such materials the world now con-
tains Herethe arrangement of the Of the globe
was expain from large diagrams exhibiting the struc-
tre of the rust of the earth and of the deep interior
far as Known.
The powers that have, as secondary causes produced
these resuts were then adverted to- namely, fire and
water arewh all that it melt, and water with all
that it can dissolve.
The the-nal and hot springs were adduced as proofs
Of intern,l heat and general instances named
the eysers Of Iceland the poutng hot fountains of the
Azores hot springs Of the Feees those Of the Alps
oshe baths of Nero Naples and Of the Appennes
near to Lucca The Artesian wells were mentioned
the purpose and particularly that Of Grenelle at
Paris; and of Mendorf, in Luxembourg, Flanders; the
former of the depth of two thousand feet giving tenn
peraure Of S0 and the latter Of 95o three thousand
feet These cases merely Introductory the evil
dence of heat derived from volcanoes and the general
elevated temperature of the interior of the earth
LECTURE II.
The subject of the Internal Heat of The Earth
sumed 1t is independent of atmospheric temperature
whose extremes stated with facts regarding
their effects.
Several instances of hot waters the American cont
nent were named seventy springs the washa, Arkan
sas from $50 to 1872 the Great Salt Lake, from
1899 to 1892 near the great Cascade Mountains in Ore
gon copous fountain at the boiling temperature; at
Lebanon New York, copous thermal springs at summer
heat In Jamaica there waters at 1879 and at vaen
cia in South America at 1910; in the Aeghanes, in
Virginia many springs from $40 TO 1852
VoLcASoEs-De tnition-They may break out any where
on the land beneath the They usually pile up hills
and mountains; have been persistent in the globe
since its creation and win continue long it shall
dure. few are perennial, but most intermittent
They are the chmneys valves through which the inter
nal heat finds vent and relief.
Phenomena ddraonitory and Observation-Disclosures
ally precede and accompany eruptons. Electrical mani
festaons are vivid and continuous Smoke precedes
eruption; sometimes in the form of pine tree Of
spread umbrella.
odors arise from the ground, oozing through the soil
they are often perceived by animals from their greater
acuteness Of sense and instructive impulse Of mpend
ing danger sends them to their coverts
Matters Emated.-Gases, all Of them deadly: Aqueous
vapor and water in muddy torrents fishes in the jets
From snowy mountains deugcs from melted ice and snow
Sulphur, salts, alkaline and metallic Currents Of molten
rock congeang compact avas and containing
crystazed minerals. Inflated lavas score Puzzolana.
Compact glass inflated glass, in the form Of pumice-
trass ashes sands agglutnated matters fragments Of
rocks not melted bombs.
Geographical Position Of principal Volcanic Vents and
Lines Maycn, between Greenland and Europe; Ice
land with its nnumerablc volcanoes and geysers Scan
dnava volcanic but has earthquake rcmors and is
rising out Of the waves while Greenland is sinking Fol-
lowing islands The Ferroe Shetlands 0rneys, and
Hebrides have gneous rocks without volcanoes Britain,
the same but has thermal and hot waters Buxton Bris
tol Bath-earthquakes, especially in Scotland.
Reservng for the present the volcanoes Of continental
Europe and the Mediterranean isles. pass to the
Azores in the mid Atlantic altogether volcanic ise Of
r. Nal ira ,anao rLa.