On the New Nautical Almanac. 23 



scribed in Professor Sedgwick's paper in your Number for 

 August last ; but if the elevation of these mountains be referred 

 to a volcanic force which must have violently affected these 

 regions to a later period than the general surface of our con- 

 tinents, it is exactly what we should expect, that the consti- 

 tuent rocks should there also exhibit to a later period the 

 effects of intense igneous action. 



On the whole, then, as in our preceding article we saw rea- 

 son to conclude, from the dislocations of the strata, that the 

 forces (probably of a volcanic nature) which at first affected 

 them with intense violence, subsequently from time to time 

 experienced a gradual diminution of energy, so we here 

 find the texture of the constituent rocks indicating a like di- 

 minution of igneous action at the successive periods marked 

 by the deposition of the series of formations. 



VII. The series of organic remains both vegetable and 

 animal included in the successive formations indicate also, a 

 diminution of temperature from the earlier to the later pe- 

 riods. 



Observations. Adolphe de Brongniart's admirable treatise 

 on vegetable fossils, fully proves this as to that kingdom. In 

 a late communication to the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, 

 I have endeavoured myself shortly to state the argument as it 

 affects the animal kingdom. Mr. Lyell has given a very in- 

 genious explanation of the change of temperature as arising 

 from the gradual growth of the continents and elevation of 

 the mountain chains. I only doubt whether the cause thus 

 suggested, is fully adequate to account for the degree of the 

 resulting effects : besides which, the general analogy of the 

 phsenomena noticed in the preceding articles, all converging 

 on one point, seems rather to indicate the gradual refrigeration 

 of the surface of an originally heated mass, (such as the 

 theories of Leibnitz and all his imitators suppose,) and this re- 

 frigeration must necessarily have accompanied the gradual 

 formation of a solid crust. 



[To be continued.] 



VI. On the New Nautical Almanac. 



TT is well known to most of our readers that, for many 

 - years past, numerous complaints have repeatedly been made 

 against the state of the Nautical Almanac, as not keeping pace 

 with the progress of astronomy and navigation : and the pages 

 of our journal have from time to time contained many remon- 

 strances and comments on this subject, from various indivi- 

 duals. 



