Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1859-05-17
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disfsne6 Of sBmiles. which would indi-
cate 4 very considerable psrpxnaicnlar
tfichnsss for that rock. In New Enk Hand,
betwesn Wsst6elt aud Pists6sId. the
etratumlof primary rocks, IS alnoss per-
psndieninr. which indicates fhnt thsir
thioknaaa i M less than twenty miles.---
Il i advccat4d by SONS hat The forma-
iionof primitive rockD il constantly going
on and The worli Il vet in liz period a
crsation, ses Cordisr and de Memories
OF the French institute, vol. Z. \ That
the crust d daily bscpming of less tenn
perasure, copstantl5 being soiidined To-
wards she centre; hence The extsnt 81
there ii constantly increasing.
Host Of these rocks are unssrsti6ed,
homogeneous il their structure. All are
crystallsns in form, bat their chief char.
1 acteris6c, ono which distinguishes them
from al others, which separates them
from asl classes, and places them in !
natural and issolsied group. consists 10
The fact, that from the highess 10 the
lowest. from ths first formed TO the last,
no trace Of organic life. either animal OF
Vegetable appeaIs within Or upon Them
During the history Of this period, such
was the elevated temperature Of the earth
that no. species Of what We call organic
life could exist. In fact. under snch
heat tha gsses which enter in the compo-
sition d organic bodies could not Ne Gx-
Cd. nothing living could emerge from The
bosom Of the earth. s-a
Il issin that ssries that the metals are
generally found, aud from their weight
and lhs former fluid condition or these
rocks this woild bea natural inference ;
bur By The process Of the sublimation. eeg-
reeatisn. ard uplifting. folding. and over
farming ofstrata. and the agencies which
rrptursd. snperposed rocks, they have
been bfought within the hand reach Of
man. ID that by industry and ingenuity
We can command them. -
That 10 elabcrstsly illustrated, both By
the Allegbanies and the chain Of Rocky
Mountains. BY come great and contin-
nous effort 81 nature, these vast ridges
havs bean thrown up; and, at our point,
lead 10 At the surface; At another. silver.
10 exposed !; again, gold is accesssble.y
iron. and 30 on; until most. IL notquite5
al Of the precious and useful netals are
found within our borders.
The study Of our mountains ranges. the
manure of their formation, the treasures
which they contsin in their bowels, 10 one
caleula,ed8to charm the stadent of nature
and the amateur of science while the IN.
tslligsnt political economist may find mat
ters 10 them worthy Of his sttentjon.
s The constant abstraction Of heat, Of
which Ne have spoken. the result Of
which was the hardening Of the primitive
surface, SLOWED the water WHICH had !
probably, previously existed in form Of
yapor or steam, TO CONFIDENCE, and find its
home in the bottoms Of The FIRST seas and
lakes. BY and By, oceans, seas, lakes
took their limits, but these limits, were
results Of equilibrium. were not eternal
and never de6nitive; internal conyul-t
sions caused them to change position
With the lands. Often their beds were
uplifted. and their waters compelled TO
seek new resting places, and, in doing 90,
some other lands OF necessity. were sub.
merged. The relative Changes which
have taken place in the lands and seas,
i can SCARCELY be appreciated, unless we
bear constantly, in mind, the. previous
state Of That globe and the condition5of
the whole mass, as mere slight, solid
crust, occupying relatively small space
in extern. and floating Upon a nucleus Of
incondesent and molten burning mattsrs.
To tha Inhabitants of volcanic district
our description would be fully understood.
when We say the crust. Of our globe rests
upon an internal nucleus Of FIRE and mol.
ton elenents. They have seen these ele-
! menls burst forth in liquid streams Or
laya; they have felt the earth quiyering
beneath their feet and rolling as il onithe
pillows 81 subleranean sea. they have
seen mountains raised and valleys Del
pressed. almost at tie same instant; they
can duly appreciate from sensible expert
ence the correctness Of the descriptions
given BY geologists OF the convulsiJns and
agisations 81 the earth during the success.
sion Of ages, and The passage Of the bot
toms Of ths seas III which they were orig.
mated, I'd plains and mountains, in WHICH
they ara resting now.
They Ale these tremendous efforts Of
the nature which formed the. mountains,
deepeneds The beds Of rivers and limited
the seas. IL the esrth had not been &C.
cidenied 81 its surface, the waters would
hare covered its whole extent. and man
could never have appeared there. The
chemical agencies of our planet. being In
ether conditions. would have given other
direction ID tie vital principles, differ
ent state brings 4 different combination,
and the result would have been entirely
different from The one We now arc allowed
70 feel. consideF and enjoy.
Our present volcanoes. NOT only show
%. in the most eloquent language, the
internal csRdition Of the earth. exercise
! 20 an important action on the Tranquility
9of the globet More than two hundred of
these burning and vomiting mountains
are yetexisting, blowing out alternative
j.. FIRE. lava, smoke or gases, and some.
times OH Nj once With calcina,ed stones.
Prof Hitchcock -caIl these craters .ssaiety
valves" neyef better name was given.
for. were i not for their agency, aud
function such would be the accumulated
force MiihinI the earth. that long ago that
: IL d. L. a