Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-02-28


seventy o. eighty feet above the waves and instances
known of elevation the height of two hundred
hundred and fifty feet We may presume that coralne
lands formed in the vast Pacific and other coral regions
may hereafter become the abode of civilized and christian
nations and along with other lands be elevated by
geological powers from the wild of the ocean, may
future time afford larger for the human family
which may receive unprecedented increase when
shall cease and good impulses instead of bad passions
shall govern mei. M
The corals began very early in the earhs history
find them in almost the deepest fossferous rocks and
they have continued although with change Of species to
the present tim.
Reefs Of ossi coral are found in the interior of cont
nents far removed from existing There is a coral
reef called cord rag, running through England An ex
tensye coral red is found in Indiana opposite to Louis
ve Kentucky coral is found also in Illinois, in Iowa.
in Vermont near Lake Champlain, in Melville Island
within the poar circle, and in many other places thus
proving the early submergnce Of the continents bcith
salt Of mild temperature and consequently the
subsequent redemption Of the land from the waves is also
proved.
Fishes mkt considered The existing known spe-
cies of living fhes about eight thousand in number;
and the emineH naturalist Agassiz has described
than thousand fossil fishes while there are several
hundred species that have yet been described
They begin deep down in the early fossiferous strata
and they continue through all geological ages the ex
sting time Agassiz has arranged them by their scales
which generally very imperishable into classes
pacoids, ganoids, bycloids, and ctenoids.
Most of the early fishes had unequal lebed tails, the
upper branch beg long in proportion to the lower Few
species having tits popularity found in the present
seas Sharks re examples; and they in ancient,
they contnf to be in modern times, destructive
cuoners be by the very necessities of their existence
robbers and rrderers. The jaw of shark of enormous
dimensions seading wide enough to receive the body of
middle -size man, exhibited 1t caught by the
Expedition AID had in its stomach kid which had been
thrown overheard. There five of teeth of large
sze moyeablaby muscles so to lie fat stand erect
pleasure ind the fish said to have been fourteen
feet long Bycomparng certain very large fossil teeth
which were exhibited with those of this shark it
was inferred t the ancient sharks seventy eighty
and perhaps, some cases, even ninety feet long.
The sauroi fshes having teeth like those of the
die allgatd, mentioned Some of them of
great dimensions; the teeth of the megalycths found in
the carbnferohs limestone Edinburgh had teeth
of which were five six inches long
The warrior fishes of the ancient held in check
they now the excessive population of the herbvorous
races regimen which WAS, from the beginning, adopted
by the Creator in all orders of animals, as otherwise
they must, from excessive multiplication die of starva
ton Fishes from their high powers of locomotion, have
the ability travel M and wide, and therefore are excel
lent guides to ascertain the equivalent geological foma
ons for they are the in similar strata; but fam
lily fishes passes either up down into other strata
than those 70 which they belong.
"A beautful specimen Of fossil fish, from Mount Bolcp,
near vseaA in Northern Italy, exhibited The ske-
Teton qte perfect and its impress its bones ap
peared both parts of the stone which, when split
divided and divided the fish equally lenghwse. This
ine specimen brought by the lecturer from the quar-
ry of Mount Bolca, which is in mountain seventy OF
eighty miles from the Adriac sea- and elevated probably
half mile above it. The fish rocks alternate twice with
igneous rocks This quarry has afforded thousands OF
specimens Most of the cabinets of Europe enriched
by them and the speaker many splendid specimens
in cabinets from three inches to yard
or more in length. More than hundred species of
fishes have been found in this locality.
Views presented to the mode in which the Bolca
fishes may have been entombed and covered first with
| calcareous mud, and then with submarine lava.
Drawings fine ichthyolites from Connecticut
hbied and various localities werenamed in this country
The species of fossil fishes are none Of them found
among the living fishes of our era.
Drawings were shown of beautiful ichthyolites
from Engndfrom the chalk and the las and also the
fishes discovered in the old red sandstone Of Cathness in
Scotland by Hugh Miller, the quarryman, who went to
work among the strata Of the old red sondstone now
called the Devonian system hammer in hand and apron
upon his loins-a working manand he brought out
treasures fossils before unsuspeeed to exist and now
by his various writings, the quayman takes rank with
the men Of and of literature for his works are
among the instructive and delightful productions Of
the present age.
Coal and the vegetation which gave origin to it were
now spoken Of.
Aluson made the marine vegetation which pre-
vailed below the COAL and which was mentioned in ear
er lectures, there only marine beings until in
the ascending series, approach the Of the coal
Until that period probable there very little
emergence Of land began at least that land
above water the Of the old red sandstone he De-
yonan Of the English geoogsts which lies next below
the coal formation At the Of the coal certain
that there extensive emergence not equivalent by
any TO the existing continents but sufficient to
form the basis Of the present coal fields.
is matter of fact independent ofal hypothesis and
conjecture that at that there sudden and very
great creation Of terrestrial vegetation There could
been no land vegetables at earlier it would have
been superfuous exertion Of omnipoent power to call
them into being when yet there proper basis
Of dry land which they could grow.
Now, in whatever the dry land was extricated
from the waves, certain that it in
elevated because find enombed in the coal strata
the exuberant and beautiful vegetation which then first
made its appearance earth.
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