The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-07-09
rhc Grolosicai History of Ncrm mt.

definite idea Of that history Knowing
this, We propose to give short review of
its principal features.
Let us then, gentle reader, suppose
ourselves in Imagination, carried back
wark through tho long vistas Of the bur
led past to that beginning mentioned in
Genesis il, when "the earth was without
form aud void, and darkness was upon the
face Of TIE deep" This "dccp" we find
to be vast continental sea covering
nearly the entire continent, the only ex.
ceptions being few scattered islands and
a narrow strip in British America Yer
mont lies now deep beneath the turbulent
waves OF this great sea. Not a trace oi
land appears. Wildly the tempest
sweep this dreary waste Of waters, 10 the
entire area Of which no, vcstige of'life'
or animated existence NAV be found and
upor which no h0ating object was eyer
seen \ deep, dense, mulky iog pre-
walls, rendering the scene even more dis
NAL and wild than ever An cbon black
ness, (the darkness" of Genesis through
which no ray Of light ever came, settles
down upon our infant world--seemingly
Of chaos and disorder Thus the long
ages Of the Azoic pass away--the pre-
partition for the Hoic cycles Of light and
"life."
And now change appears. The Sal
eozolc era opens in life aud animated ex-
istence. The ocean still covers Vermont
but its waters are no longer barrcp and
llfclcss, for myriada of seaweeds, corals
starfshes, moliusks, t,c abound Dense
~ the sen is peopled, and It's waves ev-
erywhare are teeming with iic and &C.
tivity.
1t j. the ag. OF the Trenton Limestone,
and bereath the waves the history is be-
ing written in characters as enduring a:
time itself The corals, -eawceds and va.
rious forms cf Ike perish, and sink to he
entombed forever in the limestone which
is forming at the bottom Strange, yet
beautiful their forms, and only as precur.
sors, of another AMI higher age, they ap-
pear in this Today the sea cannot boast
OF life 50 beautiful anl variei, as that eS-
isted in this the worlds infancy But
as yet no fishes appear. and no insects
save icw obscure worms, that hrrrow il
the muddy bottom OF the sea
Another and greater change, and 10
the ''recn Mountains emerge slo1l y al
first from the waves, and Vermont is con
vulsed with uphcayals md earthquakes
far more terrible than ever occurred il
the history Of man. Hill. and valleys
are formed and the vast deposits OF mar
Die, previously consolidated, are throw
up that they may be more easily accessi
bic to man, in the great future for whom
alone this globe j, being prepared. Ele
vations and depr's.ions continue until tho
snrlaeo assumes essentially the character
to b. in tn future, and the ocean which
hai partially disappeared during ihi- agt
a-aln cn1cr- TIA. cas- cru portion OF tht
Siat", and the p.Yonan Era apcn-.
" lth the pr;a1ian. great aul ext n
Slre change app ar. The >ra east Of The
Green Mountains /, thickly teniutci BY
the afSt Of 3D. many tribe, ana the lane
hitherto lie.e~s and barren, scarcely
above tide leyri--i- now that of i1re>,
clad hills. Dense groves Of fern trees
rlvalllng the tropical life, adorn the hill
AMI vaiiey~ and furnish food for the in
sect life, which also makes its first ap
pearancc in this age The ocean life il
rs IN former ages made up Of corals, mol
lusk7' and seaweeds only with the adii
ton Of fishes and the disappearance o
some OF tie older species OF shells ant
starhsbes. The region about La ke Mem
Phremagog has It's large coral reef o
strange and beautiful kinds. The eli
mate is that Of a subtropical, and pccu
Iiarly suited for the growth of ferns, &c
Aud yet there is an absence Of all to
nearly ali genera of Towering plants, 81
that from the Devonian forests no flora
fragrance ever perfumes the air Sill
nature bears everywhere q tropical aspec
# grace and beauty.
T S.owy the Devonlau epoch paSse
away. and with It disappears the oceans
that Vermont for the FIRST time l. entire
/ Iy above the sen Yet few inland lake
Of considerable >ize exist into which
dimmu,ive rivers aoN This is the Car
boniirrioa- Era the epoch Of the grea
/ Io.aI E.,i,.,ti., of ponnsvlv,ni, VIRGIN
ia ana the West 4 large river divide
: the STATE tfom New York, cours,ng alons
the iidd>on valley, and emptying into tn
SEA in IN. =, I,wrence REGION Numer
ON. li,,l,. mountain streams heoio III,
wo,. otdonudaiioo and wearing down III,
h.;gnt. and tho dcbrj,us borne onward /,
,,,. sen ,om,letcs ,bo rrocoss tbat Is to ..
on thronrh all time N-eoetation Is ey
of ao.I ".'I :; 'cA cIla' - ''''. ,ho M rn[,;;tos
,arno ,sao,,.,. " 'o' ".' 4, NAT avis, \,
ronJ. hal' hl'"l3 ... I'D as tboo \,
~, CO. 80 1' - ,..',i' -, H. w.