The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-03
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT, SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 1877.
HoRAIMA.

nORAuMA.
A Magnificent Field for scientific Persons
in south America.
'#f New York Times.l
Who has heard Of "Roraima," or who
knows where "Roraima" is situated, or
whether it is an island, continent, O
native king. or a new kind OF reformer
Echo answers In the negative, thus
leaving us IS much in the dark as ever.
Roraima, as described without any
previous warning or provocation in one
Of the late numbers OF the Lon
don Spectator, is a peculiar mountain,
situated just beyond the western bound
airy of British Guiana. Only ten white
men ever saw it, but their accounts of
1t are regarded as thoroughly credible.
Roraima rises abruptly from q plain,
and Ia, in all, 91O0 feet above the level OF
the sea. the upper part OF the mountain
being sheer precipice on all sides. Of
1000 feet in height. The summit seems
| to be q level table land, covered with
forests. and well supplied with water
| falls, one of which makes perpendicu-
lar leap Of 1000 feet, and then proceeds on
| it's way for several more thousand feet at
an angle Of forty-five degrees with the
plane Of the horizon. The summit of
Roraima is inaccessible, except by bal
loon, but, when 1t Is finally reached, it
will be perfect scientific paradise.
The 5000 feet OF precipice is vast
mosaic Of desirable geological strata,
and two or three Of which would suffice
to prove the mendaeity of Moses. The
geologist could begin with the lowest
stratum, which is believed to consist OF
metamorphic charcoal, and by enumer-
ating the successive strata of old red
flannel, duplex states, new red grind
stones, and 80 forth, he could demon
strate that the world is more millions of
| logarithms could possibly calculate,
This investigation of strata could, of
course, be made by any good geologist
with a trustworthy opera glass, and
would be OF immense scientific import
ance. Still, the most valuable discov-
cries of all would be made by those who
might succeed in reaching the table,
land upon the preeipice.
The Spectator shows very clearly, and
by an exceptionally smooth running
train of reasoning, that the top Of the
mountain il incalculably older than the
plain at it's foot. Moreover, the climates
Of the plain and of the table land must
be radically different, and the fora and
fauna Of the two localities must like
wise differ. Roraima Ia undoubtedly
the result OF sudden upheaval, and
wheE it was upheaved its plants and
animals assembled with 1t, and have
never been able to get down again. On
that isolated table land the vegetation
Of the coal measures may yet be flour
ishing, and waving forests Of anthracite.
ing camel coal, may be vocal with
the twitter and song OF the
pterodactyl and the apteraspondee.
On the other hand, the upheaval
may have occurred during the period
when the Triassic shales had everything
their own way. In such case the dino
saurus and the megalosaurus still build
their nests, and rear their heecy young
in the bushes at the river side, and tho
ichthyosaurus flaps menace with his
iron-clad tail at some timid plesiosau-
der to calk his cardboard streak. Or
once more, the Oriskany sandstone OF
the upper Silurian may cover, as with an
ornamental table-cloth, the top OF Ro-
| raima, 80 that the visitor would find in
calculable quantities Of brachipoda and
| gasteropoda eager to bite at any artifi-
cial fly, while he would be compare
lively free from the irritating attacks
of the lamelle-branchiata and other
prehistoric mosquitoes.
But even these discoveries, delightful
as they would certainly be, would be-
come Of little moment in case the real
Missing Link, with two pockets in his
trousers and a vague and formless long
ing for tobacco in his soul, should well
come the first balloon traveller who
scales Roraima's topmost height. With
what exuberant joy would the adventu-
rous scientific person shake the tail Of
the hospitable Link, and how eagerly
would he strive to have him descend to
now female Missing Link may be
lying with head over the ledge OF the
precipice longing to see the cloud Of
dust that would herald the approach Of q
wagon-load OF scientific persons. Shall
she lean and look forever In vain? This
is the question which comes home to
the heart Of every chivalrous Oar
winian.
In all probability party Of English
scientific persons will soon be fitted out
to explore Roraima. They will ascend
the mountain with balloon, and will
come back with their baskets, pockets,
animals which have hitherto been be-
lieved to be extinct. They will go from
place to place lecturing on the wonders
Of Roraima, until they reach some
mining village in the remote Sierras,
where the ignorant but noble miner will
arise, and remarking "this is altogether
too thin," will proceed to brain the
scientific persons with their own coal
clubs and lash them with their own
saurians.
~
Mourning i'm France.
tAppletons Journal
As regards mourning, the French are
far more sensible than we are. The