The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-12-21

I Oi ierruglHpus volcanic tuin and perpendicular
7 basaltie cliff, the mountain ridge Of cones and
columns, extends sOuthwar,I and westward in the
form Of n crescent. The NeInalo river swecTs It's
green slOping base, from where il rusIe- out Of
the gates Of the central mountains and flows
directly across the eastern mouth Of the Ias- Of
/ j F1hoaia. The formation of this ridge i one Of
the oldest a the leland. 1t i scanned with clear
/ ly defined dykes, and has more Indications of
mineral depn-iies than any other portion Of tine
group Of the Hawaiian Islands, if We except the
higher group OF the central range MetaInOrphic
rocks, decOnp0sed granite and quartz with occa-
siOnzll sPlerOids Of aGgitie basalt occur. some
times mixed in the widest confusion From this
ridge the view of the PLAIN below is magnificent
The sea rolls against it to the northeast moth
ward it seems 70 extend beyond Wailua to the
bold beadiaBd Of Anahola, while the isolated
range of HonOunou, rises in il like an island in
an emerald ocean westward the grandeSt noun
tains of the central group which surround Wal
alcale, rise up in green and precipitous wall,
serrated and cut by many deep and siadowy look
ing gsorges, where the streams have been wearing
their way for countless ages, ere mans advent
upon this planet.
This plain is composed OF rcd, fcrruginous
soil, which gives growth excellent grasses. and
where water can be procured for irrigation. i
very productive in sugar cane, cotton, rice. and
indeed, all tine productions of the tropc and tem-
perate Zones. 1t would be called prairie, in the
western and southwestern States of the American
Union. with occasional groves (Dgofs, as tley are
called in Texas) Of huhala and kukui trees but
the living kOu and koa gone from the plain,
their whitening, leafess and almost branchlcss
trunks, appear like forest GOlgotIa; and the
kukui is fast dying out under the destructive
ravages Of the cattle. This plain j. rolling and
scanned by many deep ravines. where perennial
rivers and streams gush over the rOcks, fcrtilizc
their narrow valleys and find their way to the SEA
The sugar plantation OF Iihue, under the man
agcment Of Mr.. I-enberg. s in n furnishing CON
ditIOn, and like that at kOlua, j. paying we'll /:
and like that plantation also the original prupric-
tors far frJm realizing their expectations /
The pioneers IN the sugar business, only prepare
-brSak tine way for Others to make money out of
the labor and capital they have expended. The .
cane Of Mr. George Wilcox adjoining Lihue looks
prosperous, and II industry and energy can accom-
Plish e"ything. inc i bound to succeed IN his .
plantation
= Thc plain 81 NawiliwiIi, j. elevated from 900 .
o. 900 feet, and j. cut by many deep and winding
chasms OF taTTaHcGs, exposing geological sections .
in some places several hundred feet deep. The .
strata in these J. mostly horizontal, exhibiting
long AGES of quietudc, and long. continuous accu-
mutations Of deposites. The whole plain between .
the IIaupu and central Tauge- exhibits No traces
OF violent Volcanic action. On the other hand it 4
aurclr4 that at some remote period. there WIS .
gentle and gradual upheayal Of the bottom Of the .
ocean. with but little change of POSITION, and no
marked di-lOCzitiOn disturbance of the strata. !
The basaltic bOuldeTs scattered over the plain, /.
evidently came from the volcanic thrOes of the /.
two mountain ranges, while the plain yet
submerged In the ocean. The deep rayiues and
gulches have been wOrI by the action of the
streams anil rains sinee it, upheaval- Conjecture
ezln only wonder the shadOwy centuries IL look
a
soiI j. alIuval detritus frUm the mountains mixed.
with vegetable mould below this its silt, and
occasionally fre-brick clay, resting basis Of
decompOsed granite, and occasionally quartz all
hearing the marks Of tolcrable high state of
heat but not enough TO produce fusion. There
are MANY singular land slides in thcse barranoas
which tend to explain the glacial theory, and are
especially recommended to Professor Agas-z.
Tilerc are in the form OF hills-nOraiHeS-OccuPy-
inc the centres Of the little valleys, bat the places
whence they came and the path which they have
taken, Is still marked, visible and unnistakablc.
We have observed more than fifty Of them In
the early ages of the past when there was more
moisture te earths surface than at the present
time aud during heavy rains, these slides have
occurred, sometimes dainming up the valley and
forming lake until the stream cut it, way through
the mass of debris The result of this Il always
marked ola the perpendiculIr side next the channel
of the stream. IL is the GLACIAL theory perfectly
illustrated, but by the action Of water instead of
ice Tins action of water IN producing land
slides, can account for every fact in the glacial
hypothesis. No proposition IN natural science
can be true, when all the facts produced To sus-
tain il can be accounted for, cxl laincd and ap-
piled 20 a totally different theory. When the
very depresiOns, whence these erratic bills came,
and their PATHWAYS in the valleys distinctly
marked and every thing exhibits aqueous action,
ell doubt yaui-hes To the cause which produced
them. We do not deny that glaciers, iccbergs
and ayalanches have performed their part in scat
tering cratic rocks and forming mOraines in cold
or elevated mountain regions, sometimes by ice
bergs in warm southern seas bat to suppose that
there was a period of intense cold over the whole
of the earth surface. when the frost spirit frOZe
her oceans lakes and rivers, is not only contrary
To the truth of science, but an absolute impOssl-
bility. The universe u governed by immutable,
interchangeable and eternal laws, and without a
suspension of those laws, which would have Affect
ell the universal order of things, no such frozen
reriOd could have occurred. The idea l. prepOs-
ferrous Clear logical deductions from geological
facts, have established this important truth, that
the earth since the period vi sOlidiiication from
nebular Chaos has become colder and dryer \
moist tropical climate prevailed in the earlier
geological periods; tropic flowers and plants
bloofned IN primitive beauty where now polar ice
and SHOWS are illuinncd by the aurOra b,realis.
/ The elephant and hipTOpOtinu-, ruaned the then
green valleys Of the Obi AMI Icnisei, aud spprted
on the shores of the Arctic ocean, where the
] sauria fiouTi-lIc-l "a In summer lake; hut
I the drying and cooling process has proceeded
regularly and each geological change of Orsanizn-
\ ton marks an adaptation of soil and climate %
higher pTOductiOus-highcr development of organ
izTtion The zone- have gradually narro we'd from
/ the poles toward the equator, and edrth's fauna
and h1Fu. have been driven south by the change,
or have become in some degree Gcc'HgIfed or
adGpfed 10 tine change of temperature, in the long
Lapse Of ages. There j. 10 such n hiatus in
organic life the glacial theory Ire-uppO-es.
Death did set his frozen seal ON all the organic
things Of geological period, that the earth