The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-10


most cosmopolite and capable of surviving vi.
cIssitudes in climates aDd changes ~ phys cal
geography aaong all the mammalta, 1t mtTht
have been expected that vesiges OF ~ would De
traced back as far as those of any existing
species. IL must also be remembere THAT works
of art composed OF indestruchbe mate fals
would outlast almost all the o'ganic compounds
OF rudmentary rocks And 1t seems 10 De
fair assumption that the re lsoning oRers'
which are the main distinguishing coaracteflstlc
OF the human species, would Decess1tate the CO.
existence OF some works OF art 3D." ith very eqlly,
| If not with the very earliest, specimens OF the
species so distinguished. There is also point
| OF no les significance now than IL the tlme OF
Anaximanoer, VIZ, that the protection OF man
| from other tpecies of equal number and OF
| greater strength depended on his reason, ana
not on physical superiority, as 1t is by no means
| clear that the organization OF man is such as
| would confer decided pre.emineuce upon him,
| IL in place Of his reasoning powers he was
| s Eerely provided with such instincts as are
possessed by the lower animals
| IAN objection is alluded to which 1t would
| not be rig BIT to pass over, bat which appears to
| admit of a satis saciory Teoly, namely, that the
| interference of the human species might be
| thought so wide deviation IRON the antece-
dent course of physical events. that the know
| ledge OF such TACT would tend to destroy all
| our confidence in the uniformity of the order OF
| nature, both in regard 10 time past and future.
! Other changes equally extraordinary might
| happen from time to time. But I'VE have no
| reason 10 suppose that when man first became
| master of small part OF the globe, greater
| change took place in its physical condition than
| is now experienced when districts never before
| Inhabited become successfully occupied by new
| settlers; and accordingly we may suppose the
| general condition OF the globe immediately
| before and after the period when our species
| FIST began to exist to have beeu the sane, with
| the exception only of mans presence.
| vIcIssITUDE OF CLIMATE.
"An interesting fact is introduced in the tenth
| chapter bearing on the proof OF great viciss-
| tudes of climate. The fact of the preservation
of animal and vegetable substances by incarce-
| rot in loo c npY1 ha1 nj TO
| beeu practically tested in connection with acct
dents among the Alpine glaciers. The same
| cause has been the means OF preserving in Rus
| sla and Siberia many skeletons of mammoths
| retaining the skin aud hair. And the preserva-
| tion OF these animals has a double interest, in
| that it not only gives specimens of species of
| great antiquity in q comparatively good state
| OF preservation, but the circumstance tDat
| the soft parts of the animal have re-
| mained undecomposed proves that the ice or
| concealed mud in when the bodies of such
| Quadrupeds were enve .oped hes never once been
! melted since the day when they perlshed IL is
cnrinus that the heads of most of them are said
| to baVe been turned towards the south. In this
chapter, Also facts are adduced to prove that
| there il evidence on the east coast of England,
as also in Switzerland OF two glacial periods,
| with an Intervening period OF grea er walmth,
| which must have been OF considerable duration,
if we may judge from the Thickness OF the beds
of ignite for the formation OF which it gave
| time.
cussion OF the effect on the climate of the earth
| produced by astronomical causes, such as the
| procession OF the equino2es and variations IN
the eXctntriclty OF th9 etrth's orbit, because the
| subject being now introduced for the 6rst time,
| it would be impossible in the space at our dis:
! posa to give any adequate idea of the question.
| But it must be mentioned IN passing that
| memoir by Mr.. j. Croll, published in 1864, Is
| discussed, and ellcits our authors reasons
for differing from him in some material
points; and that a table is inserted showing the
| eXcentrcity OF the earths orbit at intervals of
| l.OO
before 1900 A. D.; and the corresponding
number of winter days in excess of the
summer sumner Sn Gays ,Ss he earh T'er GtSs oeng
of the orbit furthest from the sun, and the
summer when at the other extreme), and the
corresponding mean temperature OF the hot
test anG coolest months taken under the same
circumstances. Without going into the details
OF the discussion, 1t may be interesting to our
readers TO know that in one line (that for
$50, 600 years before 1900 A d. the variation of
temperature between those two months is stated
as 1873 degrees Fahrenheit, the mean tempera-
ture of the Hottest month being l26 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 81 degrees above freezing point,
aud that OF the coldest month degrees Fab.
renheit, or 80 degrees below freezing point. 1t
is suggested that tor various reasons proba) ole
period IN which we may suppose that the incar-
ceratIon in ice mentioned above may have
taken place would be from 200, 900 10 2l0, 900
Years before 1900 A. ID.
"A most interesting account is given accom-
panied by an engraving of the earth pillars at
Kitten, i'll the Tyrol, near Botzsn, lllu3trating
the geographical effect OF rain as dis lnguished
from running water; aud in connection with the
geological action OF glaciers, both in Switzerland
and scotland, an account is inserted of the
Marjelen See near the great Aletsch Glacier, a
lake which is periodically drained by changes
in the internal structure of the glacier.
THE MOUTHS OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
"a phenomenon is noticed as occurring at the
mouths of the Mississippi, which Sir @. Lyell
says is Without parallel, as far as he is aware, in
the delta Of any other river. The muddy bot
tom of the sea Off the mouths OF that river rises
up 10 the height OF sometimes ten or eighteen
feet above the level of the sea- and from the
tops OF these new-made islands gush springs OF
salt or brackish and muddy water, together
with considerable quantity OF carburetted
hydrogen or mtammabe gas, the tubular cavI.
ties up which the SPRINGS rise being about ST Z
inches in diameter, vertical, and Us regular 10
form as If bored by an auger. The following
account of the origin OF these Jumps is interest.
ing, as compared with an analogous phenomenon
| notIced belOW:-
1.-THE military moving power may probably
! be derived from the downward pressure OF the
gravel, sand, and sediment accumulated during
the flood season OIL the various mouths or passes,
upon yielding bottom Of fine mud and sand.
This new deposit forms annually q mass of no
less than one mile square, having a thickness o
tWenty y-seVen feet. IL consists OF mud, coarse
sand and gravel which the river lets fall some
what abruptly when it first comes in contact
with the still salt water of the gulf. cubic
mass OF such enormous volume and weight
thrown down on a foundation of yielding mud,
| consisting OF materials which, as being very fine
and mpalpable, had lol before been carried
out tarthest from the land, may well be conceived
to exert downward pressure, capable OF
dsplacing, squeezing, aud forcing up literally
some parts OF the adjoining bottom of the gulf
so as to give rise to new shoals and islands.
Railway engineers are familiar with the swell
ing up OF peat moss, or the bed of morass,