428 Mr. A. Walker on the Cause of the Direction of 



pose them are generally more or less inclined, it is also evi- 

 dent, that one of these faces is as generally higher than the 

 other, and its descent is consequently more abrupt. 



From a comparison of this kind as to mountains having 

 eastern and western aspects, it appears that generally a gradual 

 elevation takes place on the eastern side, and is continued 

 until the strata are suddenly broken off, and terminate in pre- 

 cipices or abrupt descents on the west. 



Thus, the eastern part of Britain is generally flat; its moun- 

 tains rise towards the west; and their most rugged sides are 

 their western or north-western ones. The Alpes of Norway 

 are inclined toward the east, and present precipices to the 

 west or north-west. Libanus has a gentle inclination toward 

 the Euphrates, and is precipitous toward the Mediterranean. 

 The Ghauts slope toward the east, and form rugged moun- 

 tains toward the west. 



The preceding facts as to continents and islands, penin- 

 sulas, mountain chains, and strata, have nearly all been stated 

 by various writers, but never, perhaps, brought into con- 

 nexion ; and I am not aware that any one has assigned a cause 

 for such remarkable coincidences. 



On viewing these facts in connexion, it appeared to me, 

 that the earth's rotation accounted for the last of these phe- 

 nomena — the inclination of strata, and that doing this, it ac- 

 counted for the whole, because any means calculated thus 

 to raise or project these strata, is calculated to form mountain 

 chains, peninsulas and continents, as the slightest reflection 

 will show. 



It appeared to me that a globe, rotating with velocity, would 

 tend perpetually to displace backward, or in a direction con- 

 trary to its motion, all the masses which are somewhat loose 

 upon its surface ; and that thus the earth, rotating from west 

 to east, would have its looser masses projected westward, pre- 

 cisely as are strata and mountain chains. 



The tendency of the centrifugal force of a rotating globe 

 upon any loose but imbedded mass, is to throw it outward or 

 upward from the centre: but, in so far as the motion by which 

 it is actuated is expended in throwing it upward, that motion 

 is lost from the mass's tendency to pass forward with the 

 general matter of the globe ; the mass will therefore remain 

 relatively behind, — it will also retard that which is behind it, 

 — its posterior part will be raised, — it will continue to rise so 

 long as it receives from other retarded matter a solid sup- 

 port, — it will acquire a certain degree of obliquity, — and it 

 will remain in that degree of obliquity, when the retrocession 



