The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-12-08

1859.
: work, enlarging their boundaries. The
plants increase in number and variety,
J continually adding to the soil. In time
; the island becomes nesting place for sea-
, birds Parachute seeds floating upon
the wings of the wind from distcnt coun-
tries, fall upon this incipient island and
|. yegetate Birds from distant inhabited
lands flying over the wide waste of waters,
!, bring with them seeds of various plants
and trees, from which FORESTS spring up,
and at length after ages have rolled away
this island becomes an uninhabited wilder
ness of luxurious vegetation. After a
time sea-faring man, seeking his fortune
on the stormy deep, DISCOVERIES this wild
waste in mid-ocean, and carries back the
news to his native country. A colony is
now sent to the island-a nation springs
into existence-a king is appointed, aud
he builds his palace. Now which is the
: more grand and magnificent work, that of
the king, or that of the King of kings In
preparing place for his vice -gerents pal
ace
In whatever department of the creation
we choose to direct our attention, the more
we see and know of Natures works, the
more we shall find to excite our wonder
aud admiration. We might also glance
through the animal kingdom and observe
the perfection and beauty of the structure,
arrangement and diversity of parts, in the
animal frame-the adaptation of means to
ends to effect locomotion, sensation, and
the preservation of the life and health oil
the body, by the absorption and removal
of poisonous and deleterious substances,
; and the supply of new materials for build
ing up the waste places in the system
J the nerves, the tissues, the blood vessels,
J the brain, or the heart. Or, We might
look at the universe above US, and notice
: the immensity of the heavenly orbs, their
number and the exactness and precision
of their revolutions. We might descend
; into the bowels of the earth and see how
: God planned and constructed the globe
upon which we live. AS we are walking
along the road, our eye alights upon a
stone having in it the print of shell or
scollop. The question naturally arises in
the thoughtful mind, how came il there !?
When was it formed? How many years
or ages is il, since that print was occupied
by living, moving animal2 Where was
it born and when? What catastrophe or
upheaval of nature brought it to its un,
: timely end2 The philosopher, by the
careful study of the various rocks and
formations, and layers of earth, is enabled
to trace-with sufficient accuracy for Gre
dcnce-the footsteps of the Almighty,
from the time he said, Let US make man" p"
even up to the beginning" when the
earth was without form and void; and
! darkness was upon the face of the deep; :"
aud as it will serve to illustrate the beau
ty, the grandeur and magnifcence. as well
as the wisdom, power and benevolence of
the Creator, permit us to give the theory
of the creation of the globe, as developed
by Sir Humphrey Davy. "The globe, in
the first state in which the imagination
can venture to consider it, appears to have
been fluid mass, with an immense at
) mosphere revolving in space around the
sun. BY lis cooling, portion of its at,
mosphere was probably condensed into
water, which occupied part of its sur
face. In this state no forms of life, such
as now belong to our system, could possi-
bly, have Inhabited it. The crystalline
rocks, or as they are called by geologists,
the primary rocks which contain no yes
tiges of a former order of things, were
the result of the first consolidation on its
surface. Upon the farther cooling, the
water, which more or less had covered it,
contracted, depositions took place, she'll
fish and coral insects were created and be-
gan their labors. Islands appeared in the
midst of the ocean, raised from the deeps
by the productive energies Of millions of
zoophytes. These islands became fitted
to bear high temperature, such as palms
and various species of plants, similar to
those which now exist in the hottest parts
of the earth. The submarine rocks of
!, these new formations of land became COW
cred with aquatic vegetables, on which
various species of shell-6sh, and common
fish, formed their nourishment. AS the
temperature of the globe became lower,
species Of oviparous reptiles appear to
] have been created to inhabt it and the
turtle, crocodile, and various gigantic ami
: mails of the Sauriar, or Lizard kind seem
to have haunted the bays and waters of
! the primative lands. But in this state of
things, there appears to have been no or
der of events similar to the present. Im-