The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-07-23

ardtd in n comparatively short time, fhcu arc
resort to Tie ocean aSif for aid. No one will
suppose that the floor Of the ocean is dead
iccek On the contrary it is diversified with
"II i'll, and dale, aud lawn, and winding vale,'
Just RS the dry land is vnriegated. Thousands
Of islands appear above the surface Of the
which may be viewed as mountains. Cuba,
Ilayt. jamaica and the islands around them
are mountains whose base is the bottom Of the
ocean and whose submits reach above the
waves. There are no doubt hundreds Of hills
ana mountains among the West India isles
whose tops 90 not reach the surface. So it is
IN other parts of the different oceans. The is
lands may be esteemed mountains, and around
thcfh other mountains rise whose submits do
not reach the surface. Over the hidden noun
'ains ana around those whose tops stand above
Inc surface, the great waves of the ocean are
continually rolling and lashiug, wearing and
wasting, aud carrying the rocks, gravel and
s"' down INTO the wales between these ocean
mountains, aud in this way add every day to
the increasing strata
Who can determine the amount OF strata that
was formed from the creation OF man to the
nrinSe' J"'t by the occd'. ITSELF rolling back and
lor'i perpet etnally over its hills and mountains,
TO say nothing Of the pyramids of soil brought
down yearly from shore and continent by the
! mighty torrents aud mighty rivers I've need
not suppose that all the rivers aud creeks nre
confined to the dry land there are no doubt
many springs and fountains rising among the
hills and mountains Of the oce IN. These run
together, as they do on the land, and form
mighty rivers. which help to tear up the soil,
and thus furnish sediment to bc deposited in
| comparatively quiet wales, and in this way
increase the thickness OF the strata in certain
sections, for the strata be it remembered il
not equally thick everywhere. Lastly. the vast
| amount of shells. and other fossil remains. ver.
etable and animal. help greatly to increase the
strata.
Now add NIL these togcther-the millions on
| millions of tons Of rocks and soils that are con-
veyed TO the ocean yearly or daily, not by the
Gang"s alone, but bv all the mighty rivers OF
the earth, aided by all the small streams, and
by the torrents Of rain that fall on the hills and
| mountains round the shore and sweep their
soil down within reach Of the tides which bear
| 1t to the ocean bcd,-then add the materials
that are conveyed to the ocean by the whclm-
| ing bllOws that rush upon the beach and car
ry away capes, coast, and isiands.-thcn add
| tile materials, the vnst materials that are fur
| n'shrd by the ocean itself rolling and rushing
| forever over its hills and mountains, aided bv
the Gulf Stream and other currcnts-thcn add
the shells and other fossil remuirs. and when
| all these are united in the formation of stratn
who will say with DIR. McCulloch that 'thc
""culnul"t of materials in the bottom of the
ocean, is a work imfmitrly sio,c 2''
To doubt the fossilifcruus strata which VIC
flnd IN this country and in Europe could hav,
been formcl 10y the above agencies, aud others
"t which we nrc ignorant. in sixteen or seven
teen centuries or from the creation Of Adam
To the Dclu"c, and ifso, there is no call iu
imagining that each division o the strata re
Iulre'l ages for its formation. We have n0a
accounted for the MirkncSs of the strata, an,
that point being settled many difficulties con
uectcd with Geology must vanish.
| We have neither time nor inclination Mt pres
ent I" discuss theological specuiations," and i
We had, we are not verdant enough to attack
our good friend, "Old Fossil" in his stron,
| hold. II