Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-05-30

1
certain that since the beginning of the
tertiary period. which far antedates the
appearance Of man, the relative rela-
tons OF continents and oceans have re-
NAMED substantially the same. This
inference does not rest wholly upon the
mere improbabilty, from natural causes.
OF the occurrence Of so great change
of level IN recent times as would bring
any considerable portion of the bottom
OF the Atlantic above water; but the
permanence of the continents is shown
positively from the fact that they
are mainly built up BY shallow
water deposits, proving that
since the earliest ,cmcrgence of our CON
tinent from the primeval sea, il has
never been very greatly depressed be-
meath the water. The repeated occur
renee of conglomerate sandstone, shale
and limestone in successive series oyer
the larger part of the land surface of
the earth shows that, while the present
continents In their earlier history were
subject to considerable oscillations Of
level. these changes of level were still
very limited in extent, and the land
surface was never depressed to any
great depth. The sand from which
sandstone is made settles OF necessity
near the shore. and the fine sediment
from which shale is formed. settles be-
fore it Is carried far into the sea, while
the forms of the organisms from which
the most OF our limestone is made do
not flourish in deep water II. as is
doubtless true. the continents are, as a
whole, gradually rising, and the ocean
beds gradually sinking, we must still 90
back an enormous distance 20 find tho
time when the Atlantic plateau, now
submerged six thousand feet. would
have been above tho surface of the
water; and IL would be entirely out of
the question 10 connect such continent
with so recent an event rs the advent Of
man.
Furthermore, the higher species OF
animals and plants occupying Central
America and Northern Africa are so di-
verse in their character that il can not
be supposed that there has been any
recent land connection. Even the ami
mails upon the islands In the Atlantic
are sO diverse from those upon either
continent as to forbid the suppOsition Of
recent land connection with either
Nor Is there any direct evidence Of
NNATN it'hfN requiring ~ lbNA NJ
lantis To explain IT, The few reports
by tho early Spaniards. ot the existence
of tribes Of negroes in Central and
/ South America are of doubtful author
ity, and, il credible. the presence OF
negroes among the In1ians might be
accounted for from the chance trans
/ pOrtutiOn of an African boat by an
equatorial ocean current setting toward
America. Indeed. Columbus. upon his
second voyage, found upon the island
OF GuafalOupo fragments OF n wrecked
vessel that had been drif,cd across the
Atlantic, and il is probable that the
cOnspiring force of ocean currents and
trade-winds would make such accidents
not infrequent But the physical effect
OF chance shipwreck, where the sur
vivors were usually men. would be
trilling upon the population of n coun-
try already Occupied; and the inhab-
itants Of America arc certainly not
affiliated with those of Europe and
Africa, either by their anatomical or
| linguistic, or tribal characteristic. We
may rest, therefore. in the conclu IN
that the American Indians were emil
grants from Asia.
We should state. however, that the
EskimOs are of race entirely distinct
from that of the Indians - Prot. q.
Frederick Wright ia Chicago AdraRce.