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


The Geological Ages, as laid down by Aga.ss, are
the following: !. The Age Of Fishes-inclgiiny the
Silurisp and DevohiaB. III The Age 81 htptHes-
co br.cng from the Csrboniferous through the Gre
t,ceous. iii. The Are of Hammois or the Tertisry
sro Posi-Tertiary. ~. The Age Of Man, or the "a,
cent ers-.fshes being regarded as the highest and
Characteristic race OF the hTst age, rePttss OF the
s,coId and mammals OF the Iuird.
More recent Issearches abroad, and also TIE nves-
ticators Of Mr. Hall in this country base shown ha'
tie supposed fish remains OF the Suren are prooa-
blv f,aernepts of Crust0ced If we except those o.
certsin beds near the top Of the Sluran and hence
n AGE Of Fishes prouedy begins with the Devonian
What then IL the Siluriani IL IL prominently the
ACE OF MoLLUscs.
he Rs5iaie and Ar,iculs;e ich also aPpesr u the
earliest fcssiei ops becs-the Molusean SUB MEG
dom brought ont in all its srander DIVISIONS lnee
i simply the type, but the type ansiyzel or IN
folded in its several departments from the BrdchO-
PODS and Bro up TO the highest group Of all
he Cepbalopods. And among these Cephslopof-,
although they may have been inferior IN grade TO
some of later periods there species OF gigantic
size-,ho shell reaching the length OF ten or twelve
feet. The Siluran Is therefore most appropriately
STYLE the boiTscdR Agc.
The Palsozoic Trilobi.es were the lowest among
Crust6cea, and Crgstaces rank low among Arusa-
hates: moreover, Crustscea land the Arrculais IN
CENTRAL did not reach their fullest development uHtn
the Human Era
Tie Kadiata we're well represented in the Siunsn
pellOds, but, while iDIeTOl 70 tue hOuueCd &c
kingdom, only the Corls and Cruoids-the lower
f1ed or eLetsbe speces-with exceptions occur
In The 81 uriap or Molusc0n Age.
Viewing tie history, then zoSlogesiy' INC ages
are, the Age Of Mouuscs-Of tlshtS--oi hepteS-oi
Mammals-of Man.
We NAV row change the point Of view TO the lege-
table King dom. The age thence indicated Sould be
three:
|. The Axe of ilge or Marine Plants correspond
ing TO the SiiuTian aud Dcvonen.
H. The Age Of AcrogeHs or Flowertss Irees-thN
is the LeDidodsndTG, StgiiGrie and Calnlltes-ccr-
resIoId Ig 10 the Coal Period and nc Permian--a
zane first proposed by Brongnart aud which may
still be retained it far from certan that the >igl-
laria and Caami;es are most nearly related 20 the
COHiftr9.
ike tie OAK Elm Ac-beGuning with the Tertiary.
The interval betwe, the second and Third OF these
Ages s occupied mainly by Conitere, the pine tribe
and Cycades the true g. mnosperns species OF "hlch
we've abun0aI in the Coal PERIOD and nave conlened
common ever since The C0niiera, III the -lmplclly
of tlfg hOwers and their naked SEEDS are next AKIN
to the Acrogens howeress trees. Although IN the
main flower less vegetatonior inc suppseu remains
of flowers observed abroad have been recently re-
ferr.d 10 uadevelOped leef budst appears iron the
observations of DR.. Ntwberry that there were true
flowers over the Ohio praires, apparently monopoly
ledibous and related TO the Lily tribe. But no Palms
or monocoty ednIOUs trees have boeu found here
Combining the results from the Animal and Neseta-
HE knpdous we should introduce the age of Aero, ens,
for the Cosl period and Perman between the age oil
Fishes and the Age of Ropties-a space in time Ioo-
ogically occupied by the overlapping OF these TWO
ages.
The order then reads: The age OF MoLLUscs-of
FIsHEs-of AcRoGENs or Coal blGnts-ot REPTILES
of MANNNS-of Man.
The limits Of these ages are as distinct as History
admits or; their blendiDgs where they Join, aud the
ircipient appearance of type before he age It after
ward chsracterizes fully opens, are in accordance
with principles already explained.
Tie reality Of progress om lower to hgher iorms
is not more strongly marked in these names properly
spI lied than in the rocks. II hereafter mammals,
replies or fishes are found little lower than nov
kIowD il Vill be changing but sentence IN the nus
tory not the grand idea which pery aides II.
A theory lately broacned by one whose recent doath
has caused universal grief to science, supposes that
the Repiilian was ace OF diminished life between
the two exren es in time, the PalGOzolc and MANI
maan ages But ia fact, two grand divisions OF
Animnls the Mouscsn and Reptliap, at this time
reach then climax and begin their decline, an this s
the earliest instance OF the highest elimination OF
grind Zoolog zeal type.
Preceding the Silurian or Moluscsn Age there is
the AZOIC AGE, or age without animal life. IL was
so nsmed by Mur hison and DE terneui and hrse re,
Coz pized in its full importance and formally announcer
in this country in the GeolOS oa Report OF M-ssrs
Foster and Whitney although previously admitted as
a ger erai fact by most seologis's. go
II embraces al the lowest rocks up to the slurian,
for much of the lowest granite cannot be excluded.
The acrua absence Of animal life in the soc 1ed Azoic
Age In this couu ~ Is rendered bi.hly p'obabls "a
Foster and Whitney show by The fact that many OF the
rocks Batcs and sdDdstOuee, IKE lOstuetous Nnu-
rian rocks and vet have no fossils: aud, moreover
the beds Cd this continent upliftef and folded,
and TO great extent cry saiZed on vast scale before
the first Siluria1 layers deposited. grand rev
ion is here Indicated apparently the closing event
Of The early physical history Of the globe AZ pIaots
may live IL water hot or impure for animals, aud
me recover since all exemples the pnnciplo that
the Earihs surface occupied with nc AS soon ~ h
ted aid It'll the hshcst forms the cOndl iODs OF the time
allowed We may reasonably infer that there may have
been in zOic marine plants and plant iniusoa
forus adapted TO aid in the Earhs physical history
and this vegetation may have long preceded animal
lie the globe
After these general remarks on the divisions Of geo
logical time DOW propose TO take up the characters
TIC features aud succession of events in American C'e
ology.
In the outset we are struck with the comparative
simplicity of the North American Continent both in
form and structure. In outline II is triangle, the
simplest OF ma hemstcal hgufesi in surface II IL only
vast plain J inc between two mountain ranges, one
on ether border; the Appala ,han from Labrador TO
ALBANIA on the east-ihe Rocky Mountains on the
west; and on it, contour it has water, east west,
nor b, south.
Oterve too that it, border nights are proportional
TO the size OF he oceans. lofty chain borders the
Pacihc. @ i0u one the narrow AuGntci while the
small Arctic is faced by no proper mountain range.
This principle that the highest mountains of the
Cor tnents face The largest oceans s Of vide appce
ton, and un.oeks many myrtori's 10 physical geOg'
raphy. South America LES between The same oceans
es North America; Il hes iis eastern low range its
western Andes; aud as the oceaIs wioen southwark,
L. Continent is there pitched up almost to
mouI tau ridge It oiffers from North America in hsy
irga lrrge txpaIse Of ocean, the Atlantic, on the
moth. and corTespondiDgy it has its norheru noun
tain ridge The world is full Of such Illustrations but
] phss them by.
This sn plci Of osean boundary, Of surface oa-
tuits and Of outline accounts for the simplicity OF ge
illogical structure Ia North America, may make
The wiCer statement, that ali these qualities are some
WY connected with the position and extent of the
an, they seeming TO pout 10 the principle that the