SI* Geological Phenomena eocplained 



ther the mass of ocean gains their summits in 1000 hours or 

 1000 years ; it at length breaks over them, at perhaps a maxi- 

 mum depth of 2 miles, and in breadth extending the length 

 of the chain. Such a column of water is surely sufficient 

 to break off fragments of 50,000 tons, and transport them to 

 great distances, even heaving them to the summit of a distant 

 mountain. 



M. Cuvier attributes, I humbly conceive erroneously, to 

 two distinct events, the evidence of violent convulsion, and the 

 state of perfect repose, discoverable in the beds of fossil 

 remains. This distinction, we find, holds between terrestrial 

 and marine deposits. According to our theory the fact could 

 not be otherwise. Land animals were destroyed by the influx 

 of the waters, and borne along by the currents in chaotic 

 disorder, until they were deposited in caverns, generally on the 

 western sides of mountains, or in plains, where the subsidence 

 of the waters suffered them to remain. It is probably from 

 this cause that we find in the same place the remains of 

 animals of such different natures, from the great mastodon to 

 the hyena, and down to the water rat, including even those of 

 different climates. Dr. Young informs us that the tides on 

 the British coasts move 50 miles an hour, and in open seas 

 with still greater velocity ; and this will perhaps explain, what 

 M. Cuvier considers as the most difficult problem of geology, 

 why some animals have been found with the skin and hair on, 

 without the extreme hypothesis of an instantaneous change of 

 temperature from that of the torrid to that of the frigid zone. 



As to the marine deposits, they were formed at the bottom 

 of the ocean, where they had accumulated for 4000 years; 

 which accounts for their immense mass in the Jura and other 

 places. The ocean retired, and left them dry ; hence their 

 state of perfect repose and evenness of surface. 



Many other phenomena may be also explained by inspec- 

 tion, which it is unnecessary here to enumerate. 



The Magnetic Fluid, — I have already observed that the 

 magnetic needle points to the pole of the ecliptic, and that its 

 dip is nearly equal to the altitude of that pole ; it must not, 

 however, be supposed that the magnetic pole and that of the 

 ecliptic are the same, though, as I hope to prove, very near 

 each other. 



It is a generally received opinion that the magnetic fluid 

 resides in the earth, and flows from the equator to the poles ; 

 but even conjecture is silent as to the cause of such an effect. 

 May I be permitted to aver an opinion directly the reverse, 

 and attempt to show that the magnetic or electric fluid 

 resides in planetary space, and flows from the poles to the 



i 



