New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-06-14


siderable portion OF which is sn interesting discus.
SION upan The origin and distribution Of tie cas..
The object Of The former essay is obviously 10 n
troduce and fix upon the paleozoic formations
throughout The United States The nomenclature
presented n the frs, volume and applied 20 them
throughout the report, compelling every student Of
this work 10 sccustom himself % the peculiarly
poetic Dsmes. Con.i lering the multitude Of names
and nomenclatures with which every department. Of
natural history Is burdened, it Is bold attempt 20
propose an entire new set Of names; and however
much more perfect nomenclature is TO be desired,
il cannot fail TO be regarded as pill requiring the
gliding and slgarlDg of the most finished essay 10
render il psa.able Ia the Sketch Of the Geolc-
~ Of the United States" the subject Is thus intro
dueed. The names We have assigned 10 the fl
teen main Paeoz0ie series, are terms significant OF
the different natural periods into which the day d.
yides itself from earliest dawn 10 latest twilight,
and which are metsphoriealy expressive OF the
rels.iye dates of production Of toe several forms
tons. These periods, applicable only 10 the
American paleozoic day, are the primal, saro-
raj, matins, lcyan., surgent scalent, pre-meridian
meridian, post meridian, cadent, vereent, ponent,
yespertine, umbra and seral-signifying the peri
DDS respectively of the dawn, daybreak, morning,
sunrise, asceDding-day, high-morniDg, forenoon,
noon, afternoon waningday, descendng-dsy, SIN.
set, evening, dark and nightfall 4 nomenclature
based time is for many reasons preferable TO the
inexpensive ones in vogue which res. on local
geographical names, OF narrow and inc instant
archaeological characters. aud Is certainly prefer
able 10 the geographical nomenclature Of the Eu-
ropean paleozoic formations which devised for the
deposits of wholly different ancient basin, are In
applicable 10 the subdivisions of the American
strata with which there is such strict equiyaen-
cy or coordination as 10 warrant their having the
same appella.ions.' Though this arrangement
my b. more complete than that adopted for the
came series of rocks in New-York, the same OBJ
jections will be encountered ID attempting TO apply
il in other States that rendered The New-fOrk sys-
TEN uspplicable in Pennsy lsania-the change which
strata undergo in traversing long distances. This
difficulty Prof Rogers anticipates and endeayors
to provide sgainst as far as practicable by fixing
his names upon the corresponding groups SIS they
appear to him ia other States. An occasional ref
erence IL his geological Iasp of the United States,
which in this work is not met with, points to fu-
ture publication of this character designed still
more decidedly to perpetuate these names.
The organic remains Of the paleozoic strata, not
including the coal plants, are finished in twenty
pages; and in this small space are descriptions and
figures Of fossils of other parts Of the United States
where the same groups of rock occur. In compar-
ison with the manner in which this department is
treated in the archaeological Reports Of New
York, the comparative poverty Of the Pennsylvania
formations in fossils is plainly indicated. The Coal
plants are described by Leo Lesquereux, esq,
formerly of Switzerland, now of Columbus, Ohio,
and the illustrations, beautifully executed, occupy
90 plates Of the size Of the page To the original
report Of Lesquereux succeed instructive discus
sions by Prof Rogers upon the laws of structure Of
disturbed zones of the earths crust of the forms
into which the strata are thrown. as in their
parallel arrangement they bend and fold together
maintaining the same relations to each other and
to the general trend of the portion of the mountain
system to which they belong, and especially TO its
chief igneous axes, where it possesses such. The
grand scale upon which the rocks of the Appals-
chan system are displayed throughout the range Of
these mountains affords an opportunity such 10 is
nowhere else met with for the study Of these
phenomenal and the principles developed by Prof
II. d. Rogers, and Prof VIM. b. Rogers, who con-
Quoted the geological survey of Virginia, and for
many yesrs has been engaged with his brother IN
this particular study, have served, by their appea
ton 10 the geological formation Of Great Britain
and the countries upon the continent of Europe, to
throw clearer light upon the obscurities OF their
arrangement and explain the complicated foldngs
witnessed in the structure Of the Alps. Minor
features of structure and theories OF elevation are
next discussed with similar ability; and then We
find most interesting treatise OF % pages, with
msny clear and wel.seected illustrations, upon the
orogr,pbic structure visible IN the APpaichians
and other uDd1lated mountain-chains." IL is a
study OF the outlines of the surface resulting from
erosion or denudiDg action applied TO piles Of
strata horizontal and inclined, and possessing di-
ferent powers Of resistance When such piles are
exposed TO atmospheric action TO the influence OF
rains and frost, OF to powerful currents OF wafer
the softer more rapidly give way, and the harder
project in bold outline, Thus the shell OF hard
limestone at Niagara oyerhangs the easily worn
away shales that undere il; and apOn the summlts
of the Allech.nes the bold cliffs Of sandstone rise
above the depressed and gently sloping surface
upderlad By the shales. Throughout the range
of these formations, there is consequently q
harmony between the forms Of surface outline and
the nature Of the rocks beneath. Zach great
formation impresses upon the scenery its peculiar
mark in the shape of the hills which contain il, and
this enables one familiar with the Appalachian
,,n,eraphy 10 recognize il By the merest glance