Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-03-30
CITY AND STATE AFFAIRS.

DR. BoYxros's FOURTH IEcrURr.-The fourth
lecture of the course upon Geology was gwen by
DR.. Boynton last evening. at Dudley Hall. The
subject was handled in the Doctors usual brilliant
style, and afforded fine entertainment to the 1m-
lnense audience present.
lie introduced the carboniferous or coal period.
lie first stated that no remains OF warm luodei
ar air. breathing animals found below the coal
heis~ then spoke Of carbon the hardening
,gl.i},ie in nature, whether forming the shell al
t-h ar the stalk Of a plant; and after contrast
ing the enormous vegetation of the carbaniicrons
p,r,oa with the simple algca of til. s!uriau, show
cd the an'as nism b tween animal and vegetable
md animnl life, arising from the respective alb
s,rniipn Of oxygen AMI carbon. An animal in
halls oxygen and exhales carhnHic acid while II
,esetalle nhales carbonc a;d aud exhales oxy-
cen The Inference that ~ air. breathing animal
,nula have | we'd at that period plainly followed
from tie vast amount of carbon indicated by the
ycre,a alton then existing. Carbnnic acid gas sup
nl;cl blood f,r vegetables and they grew to an
,uprnous rig. but of interior structure, rescnb-
ling the ferns and weeds in structure Of the pre-
seat .av. Most Ut this vegetation was of a tropi-
cal character-and the same may he said al all
the coal beds throughout the wurll. Tropical
ulants only grow in hot climate The cnl
vegetation expended rs far north ns Dr. Kane pea
c.raied slowing that warm climate existed there
at the time Of the growth of this vegetation
Where did this extra heat come fron? Not from
the sun II c,me from he Interior of tie eatA,
n ut that time the crust OF the earth was o
higher temperament than ut this time, probably
from the internal heat
Coal is solid fled carbon. The diamond is I,tre
carbon crvstalized. In the growth of such vast
quantities Of vegetation before and during coal de-
nosit the carbonic acid gas absorbed from
the atmosphere, the carbon being organized into
woody fibre and the oxygen returned to the at
This absUrtt n woul Durfv thu at
mosphere and prepare the way for the introauc
ton Of air breathing animals.
By the existence of such vast quantities of car
bon in the atmosphere, added to IL moist, warm
tropical climate, tie coal vegetation grew anl
died, and grew and died again, age after age
forming vast quantities ofdcad vegetable matter
This being buried up fermentation took tarc
and, by pressure and chemical action, it
changed to coal.
As the crust of the earth was then thin, the sub
tcrranean forces would sometimes convert whole
regions Of country from dry land to the floor OF
the ocean. Then ocean currents would bury up
with sediment and sand the previously deposited
cal vegetation. During the fermentation and
chemical change OF this buried vegetation ssthe
gases would escape, and We should have as Il re-
suit The hard anthracite coal, which burns with
out flame. In other cases, if the deposit above
the coal vegetation would not allow the escape of
these gases coal would be formed which burns
W
ignitel carbonized hydrogen, driven out by heat.
The gas burning in this hall is carbonized hydro
gen, having been expelled by heat from bitnmi-
nous coal, while the carbon is retained in the gus
reort. He stated the the bituminous coal.beds
ON the west side Of the Allegheny mountains were
Of the same age As the anthracite coal-beds the
east; but the eastern portion mad been subjected
TO greater disturbances, being broken and their
position changed; hence the volatile portions bad
been expelled, leaving the carbon as anthracite
coal. The same sub;erranean forces that distu. b.
ed the coal bed, raised the Allegheny mountains
and their spurs aud hills, for these mountains
raised after the deposition of coal.
In illustration of the subject, Dir. BorNToS ex-
Libite several paintings, one of which, Il land
scape, was gem Of art.
The subject Of the lecture tonight will be the
period OF the reign Of reptiles; the monsters OF
the Pre.Adaml;e world lros-like reptiles large
us oxen birds fIteen feet high ; bird tracks eigh
teen inches long, found fooS.hsndred feet in solid
rock, &C., &c.