Washington sentinel., 1898-07-30
Gradual Rise and Fall OF Land.
or Earth and tks Story.

GrauuaA htse anu rhAl Oh h@uus
Ouy Earth and ITS Story.
A series of thirty marks was
made, in 1851, on the Baltic coast
from Tornea to the Maze OF Nor,
way, and in 1884 these were exam
ined by a commission of the Swed-
ish Academy ofSciences. BY these
observations it was established that
the movement OF elevation was
contained in the north, and that OF
depression at the southern end OF
the peninsula. About Kalmar and
Karlskrona no change OF level
could be detected as having oc-
Cured in recent years. But since
1850 it was proved that the h sad OF
the Gulf of Bothnia had risen at
the rate Of T.I7o metre per century.
This rate Of elevation declines pro-
gressively towards the south. 1t
is not more than ego of metre at
the Maze, and it is zero at Born
holm The mean elevation OF the
Swedish coast is thus 100 per
metre per century. From these
and host of similar data, no doubt
can exist regarding the rise oil the
Scandinavian peninsula, and inter-
entially there was period when
the Arctic Ocean communicated
with the Baltic. The Japanese
islands are also rising, and many
districts around the Sea OF Aral
and the Caspian are in a similar
plight, according to evidence
equally conclusive. In more south
ern regions data equally cogent are
ready to our hand. Crete has risen
seventeen feet above its ancient
level; the old Greek ports are
high and dry; and limestone
rocks which the sea never touches
are to be found pierced by spe-
cIes of shell6sh which bores into
stone, though, it may be added, so
little can any law be formulated
regarding these areas Of elevation
and subsidence that on the eastern
side Of the island the ruins Of sew
eral Greek towns may be seen
under the water. Marine shells
far above the highest tidal mark
are found plentifullY along the
shores of South America, COM
mencing at TERRA del Fuego, and
along the west coast for a distance
Of at least 1900 miles, and IN
patches probably as far north as
the Isthmus OF Panama, these evil
dences OF upheaval being deposited
at elevations varying, according
to Darwin, from 800 to 1900 ieet
over the sea level. The raised sea
beaches which are taken as proofs
OF the rising Of the land, are found
not only around the places already
noticed. but along the outer coast
OF Norway, South America--at
Coquimbo, for example-and
along many parts OF the shores
of Great Britain. AT Brighton,
tor instance, there is a marked
specimen Of this in the cliffs
east Of the Kemp Town; while
Robert Chambers wrote an elab-
crate work, mainly descriptive of
those to be traced along the Scot
tish coasts at all heights up to 100
feet above the present sea level.
Again, though belonging to the
same class of proofs, the elevation
Of the coast here is indicated by
caves, formed by the constant dash
OF the waves, being found along
the coasts Of S sotland, near Camp
beltown and NeIll, in Cantires for
example, at places far above the
reach OF the sea, which laves the
base of the cliffs in which they are
excavated. In Natal upheaYal is
still going on, and the eastern
coast OF Africa is generally be-
lieved to be rising; Australia, on
the northeast, if not on the whole
east coast, is rising. Until a very
late period in the geological his
tory of Tasmania, the site OF Ho-
bart Town was covered by the sea;
and in New Zealand, though there
is an area of depression on the ex-
treme northwestern point, the
mass OF the land is rising.