Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1853-04-13
TIN Volcanic Character of Italy.

AM tOlcantC character OIL htHIy.
PROFESSOR srLL1MAN.
The eght lecture of the Annual course before the
membersOf the Brooklyn Institute N. Y. was deliv-
cred lastveek, by Professor Silliman. His subject
was the olcanc Character of Italy, including the old
vocanoeabout Rome, and their physical effects no.
tees of bme ruins Vesuvius and its physical effects
the burie cities of Pompe, and Herculaneum, to-
gelher with description of his travels through France
and Italy. He proceeded 10 the subject of his lecture
as follows
LADtEs AND GENTLEMEN The condition of the plan
ct upon ,hich God has fixed residence, regards
its interpll heat is, apprehend, but little known.
The progress of research has extended our knowledge
on that subject, however, that it no longer remains
point of discussion whether the earth is heated in
its interior much greater degree than the sun heats
Lit OIL The outside The internal heat of the earth is
r4yed by direct experiments. A gentleman is still
living in Paris, who first called the attention of Cecil
t1sts and philosophers to this subject He was one
q those scientific men who accompanied Napoleon to
Egypt, when he went that great expeditionAfor
Napoleon took with him not only the weapons of war,
b1t he took much more important cohort-that is
men of Science, and Art, and Literature, able to
pore and examine all the antiquities of that most i'm
potant and venerable country. great literary work
resulted from this expedition, which proved to the
world that the interior of the earth was in heated
state by bringing together facts, already known, in
regard to mines and springs. This general principle
announced, has been followed up repeatedly by very
deep borings called Artesan wells. Ipresume there
are many here who have seen the very deep well in
Paris This well had been worked upon for seven
years, without reaching water, when Arago came for
ward and gave the government the assurance that if
they would continue their work, and go through the
beds of chalk they would, in all probability, find
ter They continued their work till they got down
through the chalk, when the water up in great
volume of twelve feet This water still flows there,
and doubtless will continue to flow to the end of time.
This water was found to be very hot. Many other
1rtesian wells have been made all over Europe, for
find the earth increasing in heat the lower go
down. The most striking example we have of this is
that of Luxembourg, in France, where they bored
nearly eight hundred feet Add to this the testimony
of those who work in very deep Mines and we ascer-
tain the fact that the rate of heat increases about
degree for every fifty feet of descent that if we
were to go down two miles, we should find boiling
wafer; and at ten miles we might reasonably expect
to arrive igned rocks. Is all then beneath us on
fire not prepared to say with some, that this is
the case although there is strong evidence Justify
such theory. Witness the Geysers of Iceland
where hot waters are gushing up from the earth age
the observations on springs goes show that they
hamal-that is ola higher temperature. The Azores
present a very important fact in example. The Hot
Springs of Lucca, in the Appennine Mountains, are
large spoutng springs, of very high temperature, sc
copious that they may be relied upon for hot baths all
the year round. Another case is the Hot Springs Of
Bath, in England. These are the more remarkable
as there volcanoes in the British Islands. We
know that from the time of the Romans these waters
have never ceased to gush up in vast abundance.
The hot springs of the Rocky Mountains are also
very important, and the great salt lake in Virginia is
| very hot Taking the Artesan Wells and the Their
NAL we have from these sources, the best evidence Of
tie heated temperature of the internal portion of the
EARTH and this is placed beyond all question by the
great volcanoes in the world. And here we have de-
cisive evidence that heat which will melt the solit
rock is not connected with any external cause for
among the cold, icy mountains there are volcanoe;
bursting up to the height of 1000 feet.
Passing through Sweden, we find no volcanoes
But it is asserted by scientific that Sweden is
gradually rising out of the water 1t is rising at thu
rate of about four feet a century. In Greenland OIL
the other hand, there places where century ago
missionaries were stationed, which now sunk un
r der water. So Scandinavia is rising, and Greenland
sinking Passing through France, along the RhonC
we find the craters and currents of lava where they
flowed and filled up the lakes that we are led tt
e believe that they were not always here Julius C@
sar encamped along here, and he makes mention
4, this In Spain and South America also find grea
volcanoes bursting out The fact is the world is OIL
fire. 1t has always been fire. 1t was kndled a
the time of its creation and has been burning eve
i since.
n The Alps are not volcanic. There is proof tina
there has ever been any eruption, though many part
are composed pudding Stone, which have been chang
d, ed around in the But the Alps are very ofle
tossed by earthquakes which shows that there is grea
e heat underneath. From Verona we took an excursion
to mountain about thirty miles distant, called tn
g Great Fish Quarters. Here there fish of ever
. size from one to five feet in length. The rock il
: which they lie is a sratfed rock From this plac
there have been taken tens of thousands of these fish
Immediately covering this fish rock, there lies vol
canic rock, and then another fish rock, Now how
this strange problem to be explained! There is n
i doubt but that it sea where these fish ar
g now found They here once swan around in the wa
ter For it is absurd suppose that they have Away
r been in this rock They came there naturally How
: should think that during the volvanic movement
there, there was vast quantity of mud thrown W
: and these fishes were buried up in an evil hour An
there they lie now. Coming TO the City of Padua,
italy, we also perceive volcanic appearances. Larg
If establishments are here fitted up for hot springs
e many persons visit them. Going on toward Rome
we find numerous lakes and lagoons in Tuscany whel
there are very extensive marshes, where vapor steal