New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-09
SKETCHES OF LECTURES.
GEOLOGY.
by THE REV. DIR. FOSTER.

by THE REV DIR. FOSTER.
The fourth lecture this interesting science was dcy
cred on Wedne sday evening. in the Greenest. VI. l.
Church, to numerous and apprecatiye audience The
lecturer was well supplied with the most approved maps
diagrams ard other apparatus necessary to the CON
continuation of the previous one on the Classification
Of Rocks an examination of the strata OF the earth
crust. End the evidence Of the antiquity OF the goDe
therefrom together with exhibit Of the creations
of the various periods, DC. The lecturer preiacei
bis subject by prayer; after which he gave rapid
synopsis of his last lecture, and then said Commenc
ing with the most ancient have already described tue
primary metsmo hc rocks, in which Is no trace OF AMI
NAL vegetable life we now proceedt the sluran strata
In this the fret signs vegetable ana OF the lowest
orders of animal life appear In the cambrian, aud up
the old red sand tone strata found the trlOOHe,
together with shells coral- crusiacse and in the old red
sandstone are found tie higher order of anim e in the
vertebrate species of fishes together with bivalYes anl
univalyes and few corallnes Next come the mountain
une strata Immediately preceding the coal lorna
tons in this strata found the encrente, or sea lily IN
shape not unlike ear Of corn this strata IL
formed almost entirely Of the exuvie OF these
animals, together with a shells. Thus three strata
have been examined, in each of which found the
remains Of organic life peculiar TO itself alone Next come
the coal Previous 10 this formation but little
vegetable Life can be found but at this period the earth
became covered with profuse growth Of tropical plants
the Of ondaet order. Thus find the earth first
talized fitassiob, known granite; then followed
a highly .aits stratum Of metamorpmc matter IN
which The lowest species of animal and vegetable
life existed. and so on up to the period when the
earth became covered with tropical vegetation
together with the higher form of the vertebrate in the a
peararce of fish, totally distinct from all previous organic
life The lecturer then gave the various theories Of ge
oogsts the coal seams. Some nceve that after
dense growth of vegetation, the earth was submerged
deposit of sand took piece and this process co1tin
ned for thousands of years hence the strata of vegetable
combustibo matter But the most popular theory IS that
the successive grOwh of vegetation decayed aud were
carried down the immense tropical rivers gradually accu
mulatng into vast RATS which finally DISTRACTED the
the flow of the rivers, and in consequence the streams
broke OVER them and left deposits Of auyal matter upon
them This he conceived to be the most probable expla
nation Above the coal seams are found the new red
Sandstone strata in which found the first signs OF All
NAL life upon land The bird tracks the first signs of
this speocs Efe and discovered in the Valley Of
the Connecticut After reorganization the lecturer
proceeded Then followed the Sauiian Periods, when We
dcOyer the remains Of the meagl0saurius ichthyosau
RUS and host of similar animals not unlike our crOco
dies only much larger being forty feet in length
Then came the mammoth and other enormous animals
Thus in each strata would be found the life pc
ouliar to itself; each strata ia sharply and strong
" defined and the organic life of each bearing no
affinity TO its successors, overthrOwing the theory
Of the affinity of the life of period to that Of another
Next come the dluval and alluvial formations above
which we live The lecturer said be purpoed to show
the of the Mosaic of the creation by
explaining that the world in ruins and void Of form
Immediately before the creation Of man. and the present
species of animal life Geology informed that this
Ies;od than six thousand years ago Hence
the Mosaic historian correct for he did not have any
reference whatever to of the formation of the earth
surface previous TO the diluvia period.
The next and last lecture viii be the Religion Of
Geology