New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-19

AZ N the condition Of the climate at the epoch when
these sbes lived Prof d. doubted whether they gave
any evidence Of its having been OF an Arctic cnaIac
ter The general inference drawn from these shells In
connection with the geology OF the region, was that OF
an era Of great subsidence and subsequent upheavas
Dr. A. 4. GOULD of Boston explained that the small
sze Of the sbes found did but prove that they were
not in their natural habitat and further, as their SIZE
depended 20 much upon other causes, the inference
which has been founded upon them OF colder cimate
al some former epoch lie not well founded, although
this may be proved by other means =.
Col. WHITTLEsEY remarked that the eneHs ounu aI
Lake Superior, being invariably those OF fresh WAFER,
show that that region has not been covered oy sal
water within any recent geological epoch. ne aaoeu
that the timber preserved IN the supefncis' su"'o
proves also the same fact. u..h
The discussion was continued by Professors Hitch
cock Swallow, Dana, Ramsay, and other gens'gTnsni
The next paper WINS On the Fluctuations o. Aexe eve
" in the Great North American Lakes, by Co.
CHARLES WHITLEY Of Cleveland. -,
Since 1888 be has observed the changes OF level m
Lake Erie and Lake Superior, and 6as c9,ec.ea the
observations of others far az possible Inc od oo
seryatops being in course Of publication by the Smith
sonap Insute be called attention to but one phase OF
the phenomena Of fiuctuston. For several years he
has obtained observations, IN fome cases dahy, IN
others three times day, from any points along the
Lake shores which enable him to decide that there
are three kinds Of fuctuation each due to distinct
cause. Frst general rise al fall extending through
long periods Of time, but without regularity OF PERIOD
which he styles Secular Fluctuations. Secondly, an
Annual rise and fall without reference to the general
stage of the water called the annual Punctuation
and Thirdly local. ftful and irregular huctustion
few inches to few feet, and lasting from a Jew
mir utes, in some cases, to twenty-four hours
The general rise and fall OF our great Lake.
arises no doubt from the difference Of the section
acting through long periods Of time, and over large
area but this explanation lie not rendered certain by
meteorological there being few Of them
vet made within the region of the Lakes. Yet start
ing without hypothesis this should be so. For the
same causes which operate TO swell small sire suns In
H. phtnfHI nnF a
Of duration of time, must act upon the Lakes, which
are but the reservoirs for the drainage OF the country
whose sire ans flow into them. This extent OF coun-
try 80 vast as to require several years or ae cause
to produce its natural effect. On the Mississippi it
months before the people near its mouth perceive the
rise of the water Considering the St. Lawrence as one
gre at stream with branches extending to the Mesaki
rarge and to the prairies OF Wisconsin the result
would be still more tardy, from the repeated checks
in the flow of the waters through many pools OF still
waters The course of the prevailing winds also, has
an effect upon the rapidly Of the flow, and the amount
Of vapor taken up in this long passage Of the water
is very variable. The greatest range Of the secular
fluctuations between the extremes OF high and low
stages determined by the yearly mean, is for Lake
Erie four feet five inches. The greatest in the same
Lake by the monthly mean, Is siI feet Between the
highest known stoge June 2j 1885, and the lowest in
August 1919, is about feet. There are proofs
on the shores Of Lakes Huron and Michigan that
the extreme fluctuations within the life of trees
now standing is about twelve feet. Their
greatest general difference of level Is about six feet
since the year 1872 Since lS45 the extremes upon
Lake Superior are about 8 feet. On Lake Ontario,
between 1888 and 1854 the greatest range was feet
inches. The annual changes are not in general
greater than foot and halt. Col. w. finds no au-
thority for the popular belief in a seven years rise
and fall" The records show periods of continual rise
from three to nineteen years, not one OF seven ana
just one of fourteen years. The season OF highest
water in the year differs in the different lakes. In
Lake Superior it is in September and October. and
low water in February and March, In Lake Erie high
E.L 80
nearly the san on Lake Ontario The rivers Of all
the lakes discharge less water in the Winter than In
Spring. hence the lakes lower in that season to
the amount of foot and half and this difference is
without reference to the general OF the water
In Lake Superior low water occurs about the same
time with Lake Erie but the annual is four
months later This is accounted for by the iateness
of the Spring thaws by the great size OF the lake, BY
the want OF large rivers, and by the prevalence Of
east winds.
The third class of fluctuations have been often de-
scribed since the days Of the early French mission.
aries. In clear, calm weather, when the surface Of
the water is perfectly placid and no clouds or winds
are visible succession of short swes arise upon the
Lake and roll to the shore The highest of these huc
tuations which has fallen under Col. WIS notice was
about two feet. During ten years he observed the
phenomenon several hundred times, and found the
period to be about A. mnutef, upon average from
pulsaton to another. The vertical range OF the
wave in the Lake is about four inches. 1t always
comes in from the open eea, in line parallel to the
shore. In stormy weather the pulsations less reg
uar ano higher and his observations show that they
occur in all weathers and conditions of the atmosphere,
and by night well as by day. The paralelism
of the wave to the shore obtains without regard
to the direction of the wind The theory tina. these
Oscil atoms Of the water arise from barOmetrical
variations in the atmosphere finds no support IN
COL WIS observations. 1t would seem that
movement completed in from three to five min
ues is too rapid to be held in column Of mercury,
even if the variation be derived from the variation OF
atmospheric pressure. Without having any fixed
theory Col w. has for years been inclined to look
to an electro magnetic cause for an explanation.
Mr.. MILLARD FILLhoRE inquired whether the nue.
tuators in the several lakes correspond with each
other in time and extent
Col. WHITTLEsEY replied that they do not.
DIR. HARE spoke Of the influence OF electricity upon
the amount of moisture in the air. 49,
Prof DEWEY called attention to the very great diff
ference in the rise at Buffalo and Lake Ontario and
hoped that the local causes Of this would be made the
subject Of pecal observation. he also described the
fluctuations Of Ontario being very eimiar IN charac
ter to those described by COL W. on the upper lakes.
One Of the ftful fluctuations which occurred on TINS
lake was owing to tornado which swept diagonsuy
across the lake pling up the waters on the Canada
shore with corresponding depression on the United
States side and giving rise to series OF fluctuations
lsstiI some half an hour.
Mr. FILLMORE spoke Of the effect Of storm which
hesped up the waters in the barber Of Buffalo to the
amount OF nine feet and Of another which drove the
waters away until the canal left dry, suggesting
that these two events gave Mr. Whittesey his great
difference Of fifteen feet
T. SHERRY Hunt followed with paper =" On the
" ParelleGsm between the rocks Of the Laurentan
"and SiluIian systems"
He began by tracing similarity between the fels-
pathc rocks Of the two series, represented by the
hypertes and labradorites in the one and the euphO
tides and diortes in the other. lie further slgnalzed
the garnets pyroxenes and dallage rocks of the two
SERIES and showed that the serpentines, with some
little diiiereIce in constitution, are common to BOTH
The tales of the Suran series represented by the
Repsselaerite Of the Laurentian, sicate Of magne
sia almost identical with tale. The absence OF iron
from many felspaihic rocks and the accumulation OF
this metal in the associated strata which, in the car.