Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-11-14
1AzsFb DRESS
DY
ASES. .yOS 8. eTkc EEsELEE.
Delivered at the Atheneum,
UNDEE THE AUsp;CEs TIE
Add R TESS
Library association,
Thursday Nvening, Nov. 8, 1865.
UNDEc THE Arsr;CE. or sHE

Thursday Evening, Nov. 9, 1865.
LADIES AND GESrIENES-The great Cuvicr,
in his work OH the Revolutions Of cur globe,
and his vast researches in the fossil remains in
and on the surface Of our earth, laid the foun-
dation of our present knowledge Of geological
science; and the upllcaval of his mighty genius.
like the mountains, broke the strata OF former
opinions and swept trcm the records Of science
all preconceived notions on the subject The
Noachian, or aqueous formation of the globe.
with all It's pretensions to authority, is no Ion
ger Consulted, and the learned Bishop, Burnet
Button AMI Warner are looked upon as Il big
oted faction, willie De Luc Laplace, Hutton
and Darwin are the authorities whose opinions
are based GA the granite of Cuyier. and the
great author OF Creatlon has marked His foot.
prints on tie rocks OF departed ages whose
period of duration j. not to be calculated or
measured by figures time. Hutton measured
the STRATA GA the opposite sides ',f the noun l.
. tains of his native See tand, and marked the
[ high granite peak that was thrust between,
ard nlarvelled, yet could but believe that the
| high upheavai had broken the strata when he
| found them 50 exactly to &C rrespond and fit the
opposite sides of the lnour tain. The same pc
| culiarity OF formation have observed in my
| own country, both i'll tue Alieghanv and the
| Rocky Mountains, bnt the most beautiful exhi-
| billion of these truths is TO be found n the rent
| OF the plain in Middle Kentucky, where the
| earth has been rent and the Kentucky River
| runs i'll the iiSsure bctwee n. AT every bend in
| that beautiful stream there are corresponding
| excavations and projections which, ii brought
| together, would exactly unite, although mile
apart and Oil opposite sizes Of the river-each
stratum exactly correspond ing and giving the
strongest proofs OF having been rent asunder
by some terrible CONFUSION of Nature.
| The great Valley Of the Mississippi has been
| the result oe the last great revelation OF our
| globe ana the towering mountains that boun
| it correspond with the pl esent knowledge on
f; the subj It of geology. The most reliable au
| thors that subject are Alexander Won Hum
| boldt. Agassz, Lyle, Hitchcock and john i'ye
| Smith In the early existence of tins valley
tic vast expanse lay undisturbed for ages, wasi!e
! the strata were forming by alternate eiev atoms
; and deprcssons; but when the Alle.shany, the
| Rocky aud Sierr;. Nevada Mountains rose these
strata were broken and aeaved from tleIr po-
sition and received an i:.clination TO Il great
1 common centre, and the very spot on which
Cairo stautls is the centre of this stupendous
gift of God to The Allcghany and Cum
] heTlaud Mountains rose first and heaved up the
strata inciinlng them to the North, but when
the North, in its giant formation of the granite
lax and (oahS
and Sierra Nevada Mountains were uphcaved
The strata were heaved back again. boundaries
were given to the lai o. the beds Of the Ohio,
the Upper Mississippi n | Missouri we re form
ed, and their waters .orced through the hll
countries OF the States Of Mississippi and Loui-
slana TO the Cuff Of Mexico and the Ocean.
The geological researches of Agassiz and other
| authors prove this proposition conclusively.
Z that the strata upheaved first by the Allegheny
and last by the Rocky Mountains, point from
the Allegheny south and west, Willie the
northern strata show most eonclusively that the
| last great throe of the earth has inclined tho
| strata south and their dip is to THIS point. The
resources OF the Mississippi Valley in minerals,
| the most valuable in Nature excepting the pre-
! cious metals, are more abundant than i'll any
country on the globe. For the most vaiua
/ bic, although not the most precious is found
in every direction, but INST abundantly in mls-
1 souri,. The iron of Iron county, Missouri,
would supply the whole earth for thousands OF
years. with the best metal ever extracted from
! her bosom, while Illinois has more coal and
lead than all the earth beside, easy of access
and of tho purtst quality, and our territories
north Of the lakes abound in more copper than
| will ever be exhausted by the human race in
| all coming time Our great rivers running
from north to south furnish the richest ailuvlal
| soil susceptible OF higher cultivation and pro-
ducing greater variety Of ofagricultural produc-
tions than any valley that can he found else
, where. As we leave the tropical regions OF
the south and progress northwa"d, at every de-
! gree we find Il difference III adaptation OF soil
| ard climate not possessed by any other valley
| in the world. From tic entrance of the
mighty stream, with its hundred bayous pro
ceediug upwards, embracing the Red River
and the Arkansas, We find richer soil and bet
, ter adapted TO the growth OF sugar, cotton and
, corn than any land on The globe. The lint OF
the cotton produced Oh the Red and Arkansas
Rivers, when compared with the cotton OF the
Branmapoatra and OF the Ganges, is found to
be far winter and much longer and timer. In
! fact the English manufacturer is compelled &c
mix American cot on with that from India &C
make IL tolerable fabric of it, and the time Is
| close at hand when England will be in greater
need of it than she has ever boen. This valley
will become !, manufacturing country as vel
as producing one, and we will use our own
staple and leave England without her needed
/ supply. | have stood npon Toe spars OF the
, / Alleghanev and Cumberland Mountains and
| turned to the West, I'd the spurs OF the Rocky
! Mountains and turned to the South and East
: | and looked over the vast PLAN between, | ,SOl
| miles III width, and It's | wondered aud ad
- ! rnired was thanklul thai this my native
= country. l have stood, in Iny boyhoods ram
g bes on the heights of the Kentucky cliffs ,00(
u feet above the river in some places, and scram
\ bcd up and down them t" count their strat
, and wonder at til sir formation.
: | have stood on the irou peak of the lro
II Mountain and on that still greater wonder tn
e Pilot Knob, IL solid mass OF iron, and on TIL
~ horn of granite OF the Siiut-In-M ountiin, til
projecting terminus Uf the Ozark ridge from til
Rocky Mountains, III the centre OF the grc'
u valley and the oniT mountain IN it. haV
C ra,niled through its caves, the Mammoth Cave
J. and the more wonderful l,tbyrinll OF Missouri
one mile below Hannibal. and. have searcie
= Europe as we'll as America for wondeTs. ont {
Sc all the sublime objects in Nature, the creates
ic wonder of the world is the mountains OF iTo
in Missouri To sleep i'll sight of Pilot Knot
and see the morning sun gid Its iron peak |
. his rising and lngcr upon it at even rs II !
admiration aud fondncss, and as we contelnpjat
= Gods bcneiicencc to mar in hnmble Thankful
o ness for ail iIs gifts to US as j people. Ili
70 central. and probably the last upAeaval IN III
IL. Mississippi Valley, was most singular IN It's re
o. north to the M.rrinac, -onc hundred mile
I