New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-19
ArChPan.

You are, in fact, all aware that tho, crust Of the
earth the superficial part Of the earth Is not OF
homogeneous character, but that IL Il made ny OF
number of beds Of strata the titles OF the Drlnci-
nal groups of which are placed upon that QlagIam-
beds of sand beds of stone beds OF clay OF slate,
of granite and Of various other materials
On further examination il is found that these beds
of solid material are OF exactly the same nature as
these which are at present beng formed uhuer
known conditions at the surface OF the earth;
that that chalk, for example, which forms great
mart of the cTetaceOus formation IN some parts OF
the world that that chalk is Identical IN lts physical
and chemical characters, or practically So WIN
substance which IL now beng 1Ofmed at the
bottom Of the Atlantic Ocean, and covers
an enormous area that other bodies OF rock
are comparable with the sands which are
being formed upon sea-shores, packed togetheIl
and on. Thus IL comes 20 be certain that eacl Oh
than 10 600 feet is known that all these have Deen
deposited and formed by natural agencies elther
out of the waste and washing oil the dry land, OF
else as the product OF plants ana animals NOW,
these rocks orSrata full the remains OF ANIMALS
and plants Countless thousands of speceSOt ANIMALS
and plants as perfectly recognizable as those when i
shells and remains which you pick up upon the
beach-cOuntless thousands Of species OF these crea-
tIires have been Embedded III the sand or mud or
limestone, just as they are beng lmDedaGd now
They furnish us with record which cannot be sub
iect to any msinteTpretaion, looking aJ II Dfoayi
as to the kind of things that nave hiSd
mon the surface of the earth during the
time that is registered by this great thickness
Of stTatiied rock The most superhca! stnGy Oh these
u
live at the present time have had only temporary
duration; fiat you williind them and such as they
are for The most part only in that uppermost strata
here called post-tcrtihry. As you go back III time
they become secondary, and their places are
taken by other fGrms as numerous and
diversified and still different and yen ma
vet others, different from the cretaceous
or tertiary and from those of the present day, ana
10 on as YOU go further and further back, why,
then, the circunstantal evidence absolutely mega
tiVes the conception Of the eternity OF the present
condition of things. We say with certainty
that such has not been the course OF
nature We can say with certainty that
the present condition of things has
been TOR q comparatively short period,
and that so far as animal aud vegetable nature are
concerned that that has been preceded by diner
ent condition Of things We can pursue this fact
until we come TO the lowest OF straiiied rocks, in
which we lose the indications of life altogether.
The hypothesis of the eternity of the present eOndi
tion of things may therefore be put Jut OF thought
altogether.
MILToNs HYPOTHESIS
We now come TO what | would call Millions n.y.
pothesis-the hypothesis that the present condition
OF things has endured for a comparatively moderate
time and at the commencement OF that time came
into existence within the course of six days.
doubt not that it may have excited surprise in
your mind that l should have spoken of this as
Millions hypothesis rather than that l should