New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-07
6 EO GY
By DR. ASrIsELL.

The first of course of Lectures on &C.
ology was delivered by Or. ASrIssLL, at Clinton
Hall, on Wednesday evening 10 very enlightened
and attentive audience. We regre. that we are not
able to present our renders with 4 flu report.
After a brief introduction, the Doctor remarked
that Geology occupied an intermediate position De-
tween Astronomy and History Astronomy teaching
US OF the motions OF cur planet, and History giving
us Az accoun, CT Its changes from certain perot,
while Geology commences 8! that peroi and wglles
tie history back 20 the Gre alien. Astronomy iniers
from tie shape of the Earth that il was once plss-
Tic mass. Geology prouss that It 0nrs existed
mass OF mafeI IN fased state, and tina; il nov is
only surrounded by crust ofthe thickness OF hua-
cred miles. This Is proved by the fact tn, water
from springs distance below the earih's surface,
is Away warm-th4t the temperature is raised one
degree ia fly feet as we approach the center
And IN mIres tSat have been sunk 1000 feet, rocks
are found perceptbly warm 20 ,ae hand. The e1-
Istepce OF volcanoes Is strong proof OF tins, matter
HAVING fcfn thrown o0t by them 20 fuse the
STATE IN wbfrh It was found would require a temper
AZURE of i,GcU degrees. Wager would boil at the
oepth OF Cne mile, and at 100 miles heat OF 1000
degrees would be obtained, which is mach ABOVE
that OF which can have any adequate conception.
I bis crust IS formed OF mineral substance CON-
posed Of qualtZ, felcspar and micaknO wn as gram
tie. TIM is found on the highest points Of noun
tains, and nothing has been found bel It In
1t as basin repose all later formations or subsidiary
rocks, which are chiefly mica slate and clay state
the mica being OF Older formations. These are new
or found more than seven miles depth, that 0eiag
the greatest pth of the coal formation Pennsyva
mia, although they cover an immense Of surface.
Every shower carries with 1t from the hull tops IN
pulyerZsd or uliurated state immense quantities OF
mineral substance which conveyed by the rivers
30 the sea, where deposits are mafe-Whirh always
determine the nature Of the country over which the
rvers fOw. II granite ebounds nearly pure, sand
Is found If slate or more alluvial composition, then
h. IL mind AAsnf hn 10 c
stronger than the current, these deposits a-e not
made at the embouchure, but on the banks large
quantities produce hills. which after long period OF
pressure ard heat become seGlmenlary ROCKS, In
which often found fossil remains aud traces of
vegetable formations Immense quantlties OF mne-
raj mater are thus deposited. From measurement,
It calculated that the Rhine carries DO wn upon its
waters AGO ,uns daily the deposits from which have
formed the whole OF the Netherlands The Gauges
transports a much greater amount, beng four
hundred and fifty millions OF tuns daily oil me
mud, which is carried far into the sea. The Nile
leaves on its banks, at its annual Overlooking, two
inches in depth of deposits The Amazon muddles
the sea to distance OF 300 miles from its mouth, and
it the tiDge which this burden gives TO its waters
and those of the sea into which 1t owsthat gives the
Yellow River of China It's name. Accurate meas.
memtnts have been made OF the amount OF land
formed at the Delta of the Mississippi, which will be
considered at length in another lecture. Wnen these
formations were first commenced, the temperature
was much warmer than at present owing to the dit-
ference of the thickness of the crust The atmos-
phere was charged with carbonc acid gas, in such
Quantities as preclude the possibility OF either ami
nal or vegetable life. Gradually, as the crust
cooled, il shrunk and adapted itself to the molten
mass within. This caused irregularities in It's sur.
face forming nights and depths which continue to
charge to the present time. At FIRST merely islands
were to be seen arising from the water but gradually
land made its appearance AT THIS stage. STRAIT
fcaton went on with great rapidly, IN the hrst pc
Yiods OF which two of the minerals IN the COMPOSE
tion of granite appear to have united and formed
bed while the otner did not continue. Inc arrange
inert was quartz first then mica, forming the hfst
rock mica slate next clay slate formed IN the same
way, upon the mica The peculiar propsriiesot the
slate is its splitting which is independent oil the
strata and is believed to be tendency toward crys-
tazation as the Oldest becs-thoss IN Western Ed
rope-split best Inhe cacarious slate The minerals
chiefly abound. With 1t III California gold Is found
in large quantities. During the formation OF the
mica stratum no signs Of life appeared, but IN the
CLAW fossils show unmisakabe signs tits existence,
and as the crust became cold, and the surface oil the
alter less in extent the atmosphere attained ilte-
preserving purity. Animals made their appearance
frst in the water. The coral insect, the hrst OF
which we have any knowledge, secretes from the
wafer carbonate OF lime, and forms those immense
reefs and beds OF coral which are the foundation OF
the Islands of the Pacific. Next we find an insect
called the sea. lily, an animal much resembling the
star-fsh Many of the rocks about Niagara rails
are form atoms made by this animal The third class,
called trilobites, resembles the crab or LOBSTER
species This species was much higher in the scale
OF creation than either Of the others, but has now be-
come extinct,