The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-28
NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

PuTNAh's MAGAZINE, for February, confirms the
remark that we made . short time since. that this
publication was assuming too mach of political
osayscter The present number contains three arti-
ces one on foreign and two on home policy. which
ars not marked either by any great originality Of
thought or strength of reasoning. We regret TO sse
this excellent periodical abandoning the field which
Il had 90 Iegtimstely and usefuly upied to wan.
der into political spscuadons, from the apprehended
consequences of which its conductor is frequ emily
Obliged to safeguard bum self by disclamarory foot
notes Is had better leave political polemics to the
newspapers whose proper business 1t is. and conine
itself 70 sccentid, and artistical dletani-isn, in
whica il more espec ally excels Its Diplomacy
aad Cannon Balls" is not likely TO exercise any
very decided Influence on the decision of the Rus
saa question, ard its Progress of our Political
Virtues only leads to the conclusion that our body
polite is irredeemably corrupt. We turn with
pleasure from these raccimenti of stale newspaper
topics to such articles as those of Mature in Mo-
sion' and "Miring Varieties" If papers Of this
stamp DO not Always present Us with new facts, they
rave &C least the merit Of giving fresh and attrac-
tive Aspect to old ones. TO many they viii afford
botd pleasure and instruction. Tne first of these
articles merits few extracts:
DIsINTEaKATIEG ACTION OF THE GLOBs.
Even at home, our owe great mother earth is not,
many stil believe, at rest, and It's very founda-
tiou6 are every now snd then giving signs of the
mysterious life wncn is Lirob0ng In this vast globe.
Meieotic stones slro, come like aeras messengers
from aistalt, unkrowa spheres, and leak loudly of
the life In spscts pukDtwa to human vision. For
so1es travel as yell life endo we'd organic bodies;
trey are, in fact, toe very Oldest travellers earth
of wht m ne have aoy knoIlecge. Toe mountains
are not everlast ting, aud the sea is not eternal.
Thousands of years ago rocks began to shiver in the
fierce cold Of tie Polar regions; even Sweden and
Eo-wsy, Greenland aud Spltzbergen became in.
toersbe and tteJ set out on their grea journey to
the varrer South. Bat huge, I'm aiedg travellers
SIS t1ey we're, they sron tired and rested awhile in
tbs wide, sadly wastes which stre n through North
era Europe and Asia. Some, the large ones. re
msutd t,eIe, bleak blasteo masses OF rock sterile
aad 81 err, like grim giants OF dark, old ages. Their
lighter compani. M smaller aud swittsr, rolled mer
ry on tcwai DIS tne iooI of mountains, and there
they also e scsttered over the plains OF Europe ard
Siberia. Science calls them +" cratic stones; the
nee pie an6w them as four dlings,' for they are,
like los. children, belonging to aaothsr climate and
q diff, r. ut race iicm these viii q surround them.
When hey trsve lied, man knoHs met. Il must have
been IN times OF Sole, however, when the great
Northern Ocean covered yet with its dark waves,
mountain and forest in the heart of the continent
Other blockstrsvele against their will packed up In
snow ami | Q. Whole islands OF ice, we know, were
tom OF by terrible convnlsioIs from the coasts of
Scandinavia; tho Ito m tossed hurled them into
her pow currents, aid thus they were carried
southwark, beating on their broad shoulders huge
masses OF rock e. at had rotet down from their ma
tive mountains. Tcese gigantic guests from the
north econ s.rant ed against the mountains Of the
continent; they mlts0 under mere gem sun, aud
thsr burden fell 10 tue ground. When, afterwards,
the bottom OF this vas, sea rose ara became dry
land, these foeisD visO also ross and found them
se!ves, With az azement, ia q southern country,
under southern sun. Thus 1t Is tnas the famous
statue Of Peter ths Great, which a5oTns one Of the
magnificent oIen squs es at his city, was ne vn out
OF Swedish 9raE,.e-the same stone from the FAR
north which furnished the colossal Vase btfcre the
Museum in Btilr.
Hvw lcng ago these early travels were made by
rock sHd stone se koow not but they are by no
means ut an end. The same process ID still going
on, even now. The Arctis still sends her chill.
dren cut TO Dwell In warmer Chimes, an1 year after
gear sees wandering stoctB come from nigh, icy
regiors an6 tumble into the Atlantic or straud
on the low shore at the mouth OF the S.. Law.
rerce. II the bott IN Of the ses on the banks OF
keTiouL G!and ia ever to sse sweet light OF
heaven. Il will be found strewn with mighty rocks
from Greenland, and our childten's chi .dfen may
vet erect q monument to the great fatder of oul
country heep out OF Green ane stone.
Other iooks ars se--borr. Lofty mountains, now
capped with SLOW, ard Wrapped in clouds. peal
uLmstskesble tYiaence that taey once daelt at the
very bott0 n Of the OCEAN. Sandstone blocks, piled
up big until tcty form large mountain chains, on
witch gigantic 7rees are detpiy rooted, and the
birds OF heaven dw'll, TO whose summis men paiu
fully climb 10 look down upon the sunny plain,
were once mere oose, frogle sand do wn In the
deeps of tie Sea. They sre stu mixed with count
d, u
OF heir former noue. Ga the otner baud, we KIN "
tina. large trscss Of sta-bottom ONE belonged TO
the 6rn lard-erjryed light, elf aud warmth, and
sboundtd with ute of every. Bind, But the sea
cane a. buried them IN eternal darkness. For the
ocean, also, the infinite, is not she sams s;-day
thst IL was yesterday it changes form and
stsps Ike everything e,se on earth. The very
htaI. Of the globe is restless Fused molten stones
dragged nom their hidden resting placs5 In the
depths Of the earth passed through fiery ovens, and
ct last, In feree fury, thrown out OF volc anoes,
where q lava streams they become solid, fer.
tile and fiuitbealirg, or form new mountains on
Lard, rev ielancs IL the ocean.
Even now, stones still migrate, thanks to their
odiend, ice glaciers OF vast, gigantic size moving
foot By foot They may, therefore, be fairly incud
&c among the travelling portions OF our globe.
Thsir motion is flos but sore tn glacier of Grin.
delwaid moves only about tTeoty five feet year,
bat sjgnalpcst faster ed TO large granite block
embedded In the Untersar glsier progressed OF the
rate ofIearly thousand feet annually. Thus, stones
travel en- the back of icy waves ON the mountain
top to the foot Of the APPS, where they form gro
tesque groups or lofty lamparts, or lie scattered
about On the plain, Ike the giant rocks OF Stone
They have, however, one mode Of travel unlike all
other kinds Of loccmoton, ard 80 mysterious, thai
human science has not yet fAthomed its nature.
Large masses Of rock, namely. of truly gigantic d.
EeSsisns, when by cident they fall into the deep
crevices Of these glaciers return with quie. but ire
sistbe energy to the surface, moving slowly, stead
~ upward. Thus not uniequently vast pyramids or
Btately Ot ICE, pfuktu IoO0c HiOtuer
glacier, are seen standing in isolated grandeur, aud
crosnfd with huge masses Of stone. After while
the strspge forms change and melt, the rock sinks
Gseper and deeper until az last 1t is lost to sight
dspy buried in SNOW aHd ice. Yet, after Tins, 1,
resppssm above, and the SEiss say the glacier
pur:fes itself Fog, strange as 1t seems the acier
dfes rot suffer either block or grain OF sand within
rs clear transparent masses and though covered for
m.es with Millions OF crumbling stones, with heaps
OF foliage debris of every KIDD at the foot OF the
mountain II In go clear and pure taat even the mic
scope fas TO disco the presence OF foreign bodies.
What Ia equally amazing Is, that whilst every
we:ghty 1bect-lesyes insects, dead bodies, stones
or uayel-sink alike into the cold bed, the or.
eanic parts decay quickly In the frozen, rigid mass
but the inorganic pats are thrown up again. Years
aSo horse Il inio Of these glaciers II sank
III r,flir irnl