New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-18

tas eous ieds around the Atlantic border .how the
ConfibfBt n On stood above the very much
except M iowerLv-l. Toe Mississippi V alley sbieh
from lie Siuritn bad generally been the region Of
deeper waters, was eve Cretsceous times occupod
TO Comfortable ,x'snI by the ses-fhe Mexican Calf
hon reaching Ear uorth even Ear up 'he Missouri aud
oOyeriue aso cor siderable p-ri OF Texas.
An aye afe- the Creace species had disappeared
and he Mann 8lian A fCt the Tertiary, ia rsi Pc
liod) gins, viii hoii new Fadus excepting, ac-
corOiDg 10 Prot Tuomsy some hali-o-dozen speyies,
about which however there = much doubt. The Coz
III eB' Low more eieyGted than IN The pr, ceiling
aee end the sclt waters OF the Mexican Cuff were
scquel ty withdrawn from the gion Of Iowa and
Wisconsin, 80 Gs not TO reach beyond tho limits of
Tennessee.
Two or three 'iues in the course Of the Tertiary
u nod tie lie o. sess was extermnated, 20 that
n fOsts OF the let6r Tertiary Lot Identical with
sry in lie earliest beds excudiug FISH remains
sps oiss lot confined 10 The coast waters TIE crust Of
The etrh stil Oscang; for the close Of the first
TUiiay epoch wss time of subsistence; bat the osei'-
lscn or CT auge OF level sight add by end Of
he \, riisry The COnn. toe east stood within
few feet Of its prsent elevation while the Gulf Of
Mcaicc was reduced nearly to us present limits.
h1ve thus bought this rapid sketch 10 tbe close Of
The Ter.iery having omitted noch Of grest interest in
der 70 deci attention 20 the grand fact that toe
COnti emf from the Posdam sandstone, or befoe to
q upper Tertiary one IN iis Progress single
conftcu'iye series 81 events according 10 common
law Ii II that The great system OF oscillations,
Will req, he'd it, climax IL the rse Of the Appalach-
isI T. th,n commenced TO decline. We mark theee
oscillations s producing gre.i results IN tho Jurasse
period along the whole eastern border from Nova
Scoria 10 The Caroinas less effect appears in the
CretactOu period; and gradually they almost dee ont
a. tie Ter Try closes leaving the Mississippi Valley
6nd the eastern shore near their present. level.
thus were the great features Of Middle and Eatern
Nor America evolved; nearly al its grand ph seal
eyeJis including liz devasatons and the acrnciions
IL H. rocks quent upon this system of de-
yeOlment. Moreover, as have observed, this sys-
ten IVES some way connected with the relative posi-
tiOl OF the continent and the oceanic basinmea"ing
BY the later the profound cepfessols Ia which the
O6Cars e 6nd not including the shslow water bOrcer
which Only submerged PORTIONS of the Continents
We need set more definite knowledge Of the Poetic
border Of Moth America 10 complete this subject It's
in accordance with the fact that the highes mountains
are here that volcanoes have there be in Gcon and
to al in tie Tertiary PERIOD elevations OF one to
two ihOusard feet TOOK place, and Immediately before
tie TeTtieTy etill greater elevation OF the 10 Ky
Mountains from east to west occurred. The system of
changes between the Rocky Mountains and the Pdoihc
hos been GRANGER scale than on the Atlantic boz
ccr and asO from different direction, ana this last is
az for whore influence the general features
We CsInOi Yet make foil allowance.
1hrOu h all this time cen rel British America ap
pears 10 have taken little part IN the opera IONS end
at chsrgoe there were except may b. in the Are
tic ions coulomed to the system prevailing further
south; for hs rocks the Jurassic Ase, like The Con-
necticui River san' slone found far north us
Prince Edwards Island Ia the Gull o. st. Lawrence.
Put De eTtiaiy pe'lOG docs close the history ot
tie Continent. There IL another long peiiot, the
Fosttertiary--tle period OF the drfOf the maetodon
al ele pbhDi-Oi the lake and nver teraces-Of toe
u,aIiue beds oil Lake ChGmpiain and the 81. Law
rei Ce-ull ani, riOr t. the human era.
From this time there if fandame utsl change in the
course Of operations. The OSCILLATIONS from the
norh and no longer from tie south east.
The drift is tie fist great even, 1t uu1erlies the
o'her loose material Of tue surface and oil recognize
i as northern phenomenon, connected with northern
OeC ilati6 ns.
he upper terraces Of the lakes ard rivers and also
the marine beds 400 feet above the level of LAKE
CT euIl lain ord 500 above the st. Lawrence, (which
have been called Lsurenden deposits ore marks OF
RoytLeTA depression, no one denies.
The subsequent elevation 10 the present level agan,
by stages marked ~ the lower river terraces, also
northern, affecting m region before depressed The
south felt but slightly theee ofclations
Itsre are thus the following epOcbs in the Post
tcriisr': the DgJt epoch, the LGarehtiGn ep0ch ao
Och OF 1t prCseiOo The Terrace epoch, epoch of
eli vatiol -ibree in number, unless The Drt and Lau
IcI iian epOobt nc ore aud the same
AZ this PARTICULAR point is one OF tnucn Interest IN
An,T ican Geology, | VIII briefly review some of t5c
fBc cOnLecl ed tn tie drift
Tie nit Wa one of the most stupendous events in
G, illogical History. In some way, by cause ~ wide
as tie coni elt, aud may say wide nearly tle
vOllc, siOuoe Of al sizes 10 immense boulders one
to Two thousand iuDs in weight, were transported,
a'org with & aNel AMI seld, over hills ana Valleys
deeply tcIa cii & the rocks across which they traY-
titG.
Although tie ocean had full play in the many earlier
al,s aud bn uneasy earth az times must nave pro-
uUCcd cot CouvulsiOns, IN no rock sTa a. IRON the
flat 10 Il last 10 find nbedfeG stones or bou!dors
al oil COM Grable ia magnitude with the immense
books that Were lifted and borne ao0g Tor miles In
tho Diff p,riOd
Nj, CD ooubt must remain about the or in Of the
dTi Un ihe courses of the so es aud scratches about
mouatu in rogos and valleys sba have been exactly
c,r ened Tie general course from the NORTH Is adj
niitod but tie special facts proving or dsprOTing
oelre of dependence the cOnhgu alton OF the land
! ave not yet been sufficiently studied.
ore tntUfy, the most prevHlelt supposCs n deep
srimefgerce over Ntw-fDl land aud ne north aud
west even u depth OF fou or i've thousand feet aud
,oDeeiNes OF iceb,gs as floating along the blocks OF
stone tnd Il bottom scratching the rocks a other
n al of tie II oiessos Ro-ers, objects 10 such submer
,.nte and attributes 'be result 10 incursOn of The
ocean ON the motif IN consequence OF al earthquake
movemen, beneath the Arctic Seas.
The idea a suim, rgencc is objected to, on the
eronr hat q TEA has eli no proOs of lis pr seace by
fossils OF sCasho'e terraces or beachts Uulcss the
vloe comment we've submerged of which ther, is
oNC,bce whatever, there muet have been in he Post
tertiary period east west line Oi seashor, say
across Ntw-dersey, Pennsylvania Southern Quo aud
the other Stat west stiu further sOuth; aud yet
no sucb s,AslOrt marks exit 70 trace IT. Ouilue
alhOu.h the ocean must bave been a portion OF The
sane tst Lao laid up the ere ac~uus aud tertiary beds
al along Tic coasts aud IL fact already co tame tie
oy sits clans and many other species of Mouscs
which now exit.
Can be tfat contrary TO all the ways of the past
such q lrald subnegence as this view stPposes,
placing Ntw. Eng lana Loo feet under water, could
bave tiaisI ircd without -easbore recordl Very
~ lave ], pied III the Affirmative; AID one able adyo
cate 81 this view, who no dhcult, in the total
&c If scasoTc terraces fossils at al Levels
tbove tie Laureuiian beds finds IN the succeeding
eocs ses shore Accommodations in ali the terraces OF our
rivcis Why this wonderful conras, What With
eli The waves from acting Ike waves in the former
Gaze, aud gave unbounoed hcease IN the latter
Ills much then seems plain that the evidence, al
tbou. negative Is very much Ike positive proof that