The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-07-05
; TERMS 50 In ADVANCE
NO. 3G !.
were they formed 4?

hitherto, by geologists, and geograph
lists, are supposed to be produced and
influenced alone by the winds. They
appear not to be aware, or to suspect
that the currents have their, origin in
the expanding heat Of the tropical sun;
and this is the reason why the drift
formations present SO many phenome-
ma, totheln, that are utterly incom.
prehcnsiblc.
The current running from tile equa.
tor towards the poles, was composed
of light and expanded water and the
drift Of the current was composed, IN
toto, of light vegetable matter, in la.
mellated and regular masses, de> cid
of all foreign substances, G.2e.) snb:
stances whose specific gravity would
cause them to sink-and now consti.
tutcc the coal beds whithersoever they
were deposited. The other current
ran from the poles towards the cqun-
tor, and was composed Of heavy water.
and the drift that followed this current,
was for the most part underneath the
surface Of the water and was composed
of iccbergs, containing the various me-
talic substances, bowldcrs, conglome.
rate &c. Huge masses of this kind,
riding in the current, underneath the
surface OF the ocean, would ascend the
sides ofhigh mountains, CRATE on their
tlinty pinaoies and crags, rolL over, de-
scend, end then go onward in their
course h: ;.
Lyell, Richardson, and others, sup:
posed that from the perfect and unbro.
ken state of preservation in which
many species of tendcrbuds and limbs
of piahts are found, in the coal beds,
they ere not accumulated on the prin.
ciple of the drift formation; and Rich.
ardson states, as farther objection to-
the drift principle, that t'theI coal in
that case would have been mixed with
foreign substances, which is not the
fact " "the uniform thickness of each
coal scam (wonders of Geology by the
author of Pet Par) presents another:
difficulty BY heingg washed away, the
vegetable matter deposited, would;
have been found disposed in UNEQUAL
layers, heaps, and hilocks, which is
far from being the fact The great.
ness two, Of many of the seams, for
bids the superstition of SO violent ac,
ton as that which the drift theory sup,
poses. The enormous depths of Inany
OF the seams is likewise considered an
insurmountahle objection"
In our ignorance Of the cause of the
oceanic current; and thence, our. icnor.
ancc Of the fact, to wit: that there nre
two kinds Of drift very different from
each other in all their aspects and
characteristics, and having for. their
cause OF difference, the difference in.
the currents. we'll may we raise up in
superahle objections to the Drift origin
OF the coal formations, rest quietly in
ignorance on them, (Which is worse
than ignorance) conclude that the earth
had received at one time or another. 81
most immaculate pelting, and 5madsa
turn over on the wrong side, iny order
that we might account for the imEiuta-
bic state of the preservation of tropi
cal elephants, fruits, buds, ard bopahs
of Sigillarae Siigmariae, and other spe-
cies OF vegetable matter in coal seams
and in the frozen regions Of Northern
! climes.
Whoever has been fisherman or a,
hog minder, in Santec swamp, or
| (perhaps) almost any other swamp,
after treshct, in all probability, NAV
have had ocular demonstrations. Of,
the principle Of the deposits of trash
Takes. There are no brick, bats, or.
"forcign substances" in these layers:
and there is as much uniformity in
their thickness, as in the coal beds
generally. We fnd acorns, hicEery:,
nuts, crab apples, pumpkins, buds, and
branches Of trees, delicate, in texture,
yet unbruised by the violence of the
d,ift principle,
Another objection (they tell us) to
the drift theory, is that clusters of tall,
forest trees, standing erect as they
grew, in stale of coal are found (per-
aars) in England. They might. as
well tell us that the char coal, which
our black smiths use in their.. forses..
and make themselves, is another OBJ.
lection to tho Drift theory.
Many deposits Of vegetable p1atter ,
by the rariiied current, an; sppellation.,
which IN this place, ] find, necessary to-,
coin, may have been made m certain
valleys amidst the forest trees, so thu,
in process of time, the tops of the trees
may have been covered; and then the
process of spontaneous combustion
may have begun, and coverted the en-.
tire mass into coal. This process
might Ut isnot a very great stretch -of
lmaagination-to conceive it)' 20 on in
Snntee Swamp, or, any other swamp.
wore itnot for the frequent repetition
of the iresho's. So tho answer to the
question before me, is that the matter
winch formed the coal beds in varioas
parts of the bowels Of the carlh. drifi.
ed in loose fakes, from the central line