The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-31

teal direction 70 space Of about sixty seventy feet
unless there ID subsistence OF tho bottom Therefore,
ID rs impossible that reef should be more than sixty or
seventy feet thick. To this may he added In the case IL
aSoye tne level sy Ss agency Of
there Is subsistence, therefore coral formation can
be more than eighty feet in thickness Now, nothing
be certain than that there has been no subs
whatever Of the bottom upon witch they grow,
the reels of Florida for otherwise the extension Of the
peninsula by Of coral agency would have been i'm
possible il necessarily follows therefore, tina, the coral
formation of Florida, whether upcn the main land or
upon the keys or upon the living reef. can nowhere
be than seventy or eighty leei thick. IN other
words il is evident that Florida and the keys are
only faced eDcrusted with coral formation. II,
then, corais have been the only agents 10 .ns werk
uripg the whole time the coral Work was progressing
evident that the for the enormous distance oil nye
degrees of latitude, viz from st Augustine 10 the present
reef, nowhere than sixty seventy feet In
depth, and Florida must baye BEEN represented by
tongue Of shosl water three hunir miles ia length
circumstance possible certainly but so improbable that
behoves those who maintain the theory that coral alone
has formed the peninsula to account for u.
But, even IL We admit the probability OF such a cond
ton OF things do not get rid Of the main diculty for
that there Is no apparent reason why the coral
immense coral forest instead Of in the form Of sue
cessve reefs In word tae fact that the corals grew In
the form of successive reefs concentcafy dsposed ON
north TO SOUTH proves, as ms TO me- ncontestoy
that the conditions necessary for coral growth have also
been progressively formed in the same direction The
horizontal extension OF coral through so great space
also the extension OF necessary cond
ops in other words II proves that the sea bottom has
been gradually rising from the north towards the south
such a gradual rising Of the sea bottom may be
attributed to one OF two causes, viz, First gra
dual elevation by ipneons agency and second, III
ready seen Profess or Tuowey has thought that these
evidences Of such gueous elevation upon the keys as
well upon the main land but the more careful obser
vatons Of Prof AgassZ have Satisfactorily explained these
deceptive appearances, so that We may now say VITA
that there not the slightest evidence OF such
elevation but much evidence TO the contrary Neither
ha uaiu hand uOr n n
may be accounted for by the action OF waves viz from
ten to fifteen feet and il is uconceivabic that this eeva
ton should have gone progressively preparing ground
for the growth Of successive reefs without in the slight
est degree affecting the contiguous and recently formed
anc But this Is precisely the mode OF action OF sed
me nary depoet Sediment cannot OF course affect any
thing but the bottom II is TO sedmentary deposit,
therefore, that attribute the gradual rising OF the sea
bottom from north towards the SOUTH which, as we nave
SEEN forms the necessary condition for the horizontal ex
tension Of coral reefs through great distance.
absolutely for the exclamation of the southwark
of the reefs Of Florida let us attemp, TO prove
that such deposit has in fact taken place under the in
II Is wen known law OF currents bearing sediment,
that II from any their velocity Is checked they
deposit portion OF their sediment upon ,ne So', ,Sa
abrade the ir beds and banks therefore, the velocity
OF stream greater on one side than on the other aba
sion will take place on the former, and deposit on the lat
ter Now, II such q stream, bearing sediment make
sweep or curve, the velocity will always be greater on
me outer and eas, on tne inner slde OF me sweep
bank and deposit upon the inner Thus In proportion as
the outer extends by abrasion of the outer bank
the inner will extend also by depoit, and the
tongue of land around which the sweep made will grow
longer and longer II this tongue Is cut away By artificial
mesns, SO as TO convert this portion Of the stream into
lake, around the outer margin Of which sweeps the cur
rent, the still water within the sweep will become more
and more shoa until 1t Is again converted into tongue
Of land Now, this is necessarily true under all crcum
stances. makes difference whether the strea
between banks OF solid matter between banks oil still
water ira stream, leaving sec meut runs through stu
W a m m n swe mr. apdjn
pos principally upon the inner side OF the curve making
hoal water at this part the curve will extend and the
shoal water will Extend in the same proportion.
Now, the Gulf Stream Is such a current. l. makes
sweep ound the point OF Florida. IT. therefore, the
resistbe that the sweep OF the has been ncreas
ing with the OF tme and that the tongue OF land
within The curve viz the peninsula Of Florida, has been
extending pdyi pos, by means OF sedmentary deposit
Or surprising that the position OF the Gulf Stream
has been the ut present. and that Florida
once represented ps Sy tongue OF still water within
more and mora shoa by scdmentary deposit repeat
then that upon any conceivable theory as 10 the position
OF the Gulf stream, whether its has been ncre
ing has been always the same at present, If IL
RIGS sediment according TO the laws OF currents there
must have b. en- progressive shoapg Of water and max
and consequently, progressive formation Of the cond
tons necessary for the growth Of coral and their extcn
sion In the same direct on. What evidence then have
that the Gulf Stream does indeed carry SEDIMENT
The Gulf Stream is supposed TO be continuation Of the
great equatorial current which, ST. etching across the Al
wedge shaved point OF the eastern coast OF South
America. and divides into northern and south
ern trEnch. The northern branch, uniting WITH
tie water oi the Amazon and oripoco, along tn
coast South America through the Caribbean SEA- ~
der the name Of the Caribbean current enters end re
strength in the Gulf OF Mexico from which emer
gng 1t sweeps round the point OF florida and along the
coast Of the United States on Its way 10 the co =! Of
Europe.
Now, is possible that stream which washes my
shores, which through into which are poured
such enormous quantities Of sediment brought down by
stream should carry sediment On the contrary,
is well known that the sediment both OF the Amazon and
Ornoco rivers carried by this stream and Is distinctly
rsceable for several hundred miles. Much Of II is doubt
less deposited along the coast aud in the Caribbean Sea-
but according I, Humbot, much sediment Is carried
again out Of the Caibbead Sea into the Gulf OF Mexico
Into this GuK Is also poured the nous amount
OF sediment brought down by the Gulf rivers, especially
by the Mississippi out Of this Gulf the waters OF which
are thus highly charged with sediment comes the Gut
Stream way round the poft Of Florida. II, then,
this mingles nj all with the waters OF the Gu
rivers mut neccssIy carry sediment dnat aGss
Iycl, that drit timber from the Mississippi IS car
RED by this stream TO the shores Of Iceland and
Europe. Now unless suppose the whole Of this side
is deposited In the Gulf Il must REACH and BY the Law
Of currents already insisted on be deposited much OF
on the polu Of Florida But we have the best reayoa
distance from the mouth OF the Mississippi 10 the Tortn
gas Ia about five hundred miles. Taking the velocity o.
Gulf Stream through the Gulf OF Mexico At three niles
per hour would traverse this distance In about seven
days. Now, the finest sediment will not sink more than
inch in an hour but s1pposng the mud brought down
by the Mississippi sinks al the rate Of one foot per hour
In days would sink les feet Dui the depth Of
the CUT Of Mexico and the Gulf sream Is much greater
than this. Therefore, fine sediment from the Mississippi
would reach the point OF Florida. and what was no, 90
poeted there would be carried much farther On
We have farther evidence OF this In the soundbgs made
by the Coast Survey of the eastern coast Of Florida and
the The bottom which has thus been brought
up Il scarcely be doubted for moment taat the
banks Of sand and mud found in the bed aud on the mar
gin Of the Gulf stream OF the eastern coast OF FLORIDA
were deposited there by that stream.
But will be objected that the water oil the Gull stream
Ia remarkable for its transparency This objection how
ever will entirely disappear when we consider The dl r
between river currents. The former
OF slight depth aud rough bottoms and between
banks possessing many Inequalities OF surface, aud oer
ing therefore, much resistance hence generated
partial currents upward and downward 10 tac right aud
len which thoroughly mix, as " by sort Of ebusoa,
the waters Of the river. IL Is impossible that mat
tiers In suspension or solution should exist 10 one
part and not In another; o., that sediment should
De carried by tho deeper straia while the supcrhOla
strata remain transparent but with oceanic streams the
case is quite different Their great depth, and tae Ia
that they bounded all sdes by still water 10 othr
words, that they over perfectly even beds an o.
twe crf.r fiv hau