The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-07-05

in our charts for those coasts, and
islands, do concentrate the entire cur.
rent of the vast Atlantic Ocean, into
one small stream, some three hundred
miles in breadth becoming visible in
the gulf of Mexico, and traversing the
coast Of North America till reaches
Norway, whence repulsed by the
Scandinavian coasts, it turns North
west towards Greenland, and dies
away in the North ocean.
Time was, when this same Gulf
stream, passed over this continent de-
posting i'll the middle and northern
states, vast quantities Of vegetable
matter from the mouths ofgreat riv-
ers, in tropical continents, to be form
ed into coal by the process Of sponta-
ncous combustion, and on it's return
from tic: Northern hemisphere, brought
ice berghs, studied with rich Jewels, and
powders, which! were deposited in its
course. The stream, | contemplate,
was then impcrccpti5lc. | deem it
needless to illustrate: by any farther
familiar example, Oh the principle Of
Natural philosophy, the theory in
question, to wit: oceanic currents;
since it may readily be conceived to
be, as an axiom, already demonstra-
ted (i G. demonstrates itself.
QursrIos, II. Why arc powders
found, invariably, rs seemingly hay
Ing drillcd in iccbcrgs in direction,
from the poles towards the equator :
ANSWER. Bowldcrs, in ccbcrgs,
followed the current which now run
deep and powerful, being composed
of condensed molecules, invariably,
from North, towards the equator, m
less thrown out ofits course by con-
tmcEts or islands. In tie early peri,
ods, tho wind had no influence on the
course Of the drift, in as much rs
there WAS but little air, hence it is,
their direction was less deviating than
that OF the lcebcrgs Of the present day
i'll the Northern ocean.
QusT,oN, III. Why are boulders,
not found near the Equinoxial !ne I?
.A%s.::::::"". Time was, w.lci. the sun
had not melted down the ice SO far on
either side of the Equinox, but that
the water, or ocean was quite narrow;
SO it is evident enough that the cur
rent, at that time, was more rapid, and
50 it follows that iccbergs rodo in it,
quite to the cquinoxial line, and re.
turned again towards the poles, with.
out having had time to melt, and de-
! po,lt their contents, to wit powders
&c, until they arrive, On their return,
to within certain distance from tho
equator.
QuEsrloS, ". How did tropical ami
mails and plants ever find their way
to England and lr'nce, and to the
ftozcd regions ofSibcria
| ASswEn. The iccbergs, in all pro.
liability were much larger, ut the peri
cd OF, time, in which, the North and
South margins Of ice, or the frozen
| regions, were nearer the equinox and
the cnrrcnt being. thence more rapid
III its motion, these islands of ice could
have iloate1 to tropical lands, and may
have run into the mouths of great riv.
ers, and have been wcdgcd up there
for short time, so that immense
| quantities of plants, branches, and so
forth, besides, elephants, rhinocerross-
es, and every kind oftropical animals
may have collected and ccngrcgated
upon them ; and so soon as they be.
como loose by diminishing in size,
from the heat of the vertical sun melt
ing them, the current may have taken
them Norlhward, and deposited them
in the mud, i'll England and in France.
1t was but seldom that Cuvier found
an entire skeleton; there was nothing
Utmost, but heterogeneous mass Of
bones. The deposit in Siberia, it ap.
pears, WIS of more recent date, in as
much rs, lst. Siberia is further from
the equinox. 2nd. the animals are
(many) still in y state of preservation.
| contemplate that the deposits in
France and England, at one porod Of
time, to wit: when it was as cold as
it now is in Siberia, could have also
bcen found in state OF preservation.
There are very few deposits in ST.
IBERIA, in comparison TO the immense
quantity found in france and in Eng.
land. 1 his contemplate, is owing to
the circumstance of the latter countries
being situated nearer to the tropical
regions, than the former, and hence
more convenient repositories.
am aware that it is the opinion of
many gcologists, that the tropical de.
posits in England and in France gene
rated and tlourishcd there; but there
is no evidence this, only that such
remains are found there. Some, the
llycna, for instance, may have ont
lived others and prcyed upon their
dead bodies but there is no evidence
that the climate was congenial to them.
Astronomy, and Common sense
scol at the idea, viz: that the poles OF
the globe have been shifted.
QUESTION, Y. 1t is a question with
gcologists whether tho coal lamella,
SO abnndan'ly distributed over the
globe, were the deposits of drift, or
Il - L.