Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-07-06
ECONOMY.

number Of physical features of the earth's
surface, of which no explanation had as
yet been given-such as the mountains
Of Asia and Europe running east and
west. and those of America north and I
south; that the lands were all broad to-
wards the north, and grew pointed to-
wards the south that the southwestern
sides were followed out in peculiar
manner; and that the great lines of the |
earth were loxodronic or oblique; that
is, the borders of all the lands run north
east and southwest, or southwest and
north-east-never north and south. He
pointed out fact which, be said, had
never, to his knowledge, been mentioned
before, that the volcanoes on the Amer
ican side of the Pacific were all on the
main land, and on the Asiatic side was
chain of islands, parallel with the coast
and that on the main land Of Asia there
was parallel series of ertinct volcanoes.
The Professor then gave his theory on
these subjects; which he thought would
explain not only these but other physic-
al phenomena. 1t is the belief OF geolo-
gists that land rose gradually from the
ocean. and there was a time when the
whole earth was covered by water. O.
cean-currentS must have existed then for
the same reason they exist now, and the
Professor contended that these currents
constituted six equal circuits, three in
each hemisphere. The cause of the ele-
vatiOn of land was the sinking Of the
bed of the sea beneath the weight of the
sedimentary deposits within each of these
circuits. The lava beneath the crust OF
the earth crowded up the land around
and between these circuits, and formed
three polar continents of triangular
form in each hemisphere, besides three
tropical or equatorial continents. /
these oceanic basins had sunk equally
the continents would have risen equally
and of the same form, but an abnorma
elevation of the northern part of one o
the basins during the siluvian period
caused arrangement in the ocean cur
rents, which gradually caused the chang
of the map from The Symmetrical anC
normal form it would otherwise have po
ssesed, to the present actual map of th
world. This arrangement caused tn
! sinking of the ancient continent Of Sout
America and the present elevation {
t the same continent, in more eastern pc
: sition. The continent of Australia wa
t all, or nearly all, overwhelmed by th
e deranged currents, and sunk, and th
t present Australia elevated about twent
degrees further south, cramped in pos
+ ton, dwarfed in its size, and deformed j
e its proportions.
+ These arrangements have continU5
: to operate to the present time. I'll
s. tendency has been to sink the southeI
e and elevate the northern continents, al
1t also TO deepen the eastern part of Il
Of Pacific ocean. To this cause is to be q
y tributed the volcanoes on the main lar
N of America and on the islands of Asi
lie That the lands all pointed to the sou
ut and were broad at the north, the Profe;
IS, or explained by the theory that the sou;
er ern lands which pointed in contrary
D. rection were all sunk, except the Antal
to tic continent, which was mere fragme
III Of the ancient normal southern Ian
en- The following out Of the south-weste
IN sides of South America, Africa, and Al
et- tralia, was occasioned by the South I
" CihC CliCuit UT CuIIehb ocihG NiOht
by eastward and southwark, and this in tu
-er crowded the Atlantic circuit in the sa
re- manner eastward, and also that part
the Indian ocean that washes the sou
western shore of Australia.
The above presents one theory in
~ gard to the manner in which the ca
~ took its present con6guration.
I, Lieut.. Julien, a distinguished Frel
- naval officer, in a work recently p
- lished, breaches an entirely different I
:, ory, although for the purpose Of prov
~ that there will be another deluge.
will be found interesting to compare
two theories. The Frenchman 81
from certain facts some Of which
generally known, viz; lst that the Is
ermal lines Zines of equal heat) occ
~, double the space in the Northern hel
- phere that they do in the Southern
that the latter is considerably colder
=, peeially toward the pole, than the No
: ern one ; 2, that the accumulation Of
at the Antartic pole is much more I
''s siderable than at the Northern 8,
the earth performs the shortest por
tas II Of ia ravoIution. viz thai nearest &c