262 Review of (he Glacial Theory. 



bring about this Arctic climate — about three miles higher than it is 

 now — and, then, that the climate was warm and pleasant on the 

 mountains, and intensely cold in the valleys and lowTr lands? The 

 continent was raised, according to this theory, several hundred feet, 

 for no other purpose, that I am able to discover, than to get this cold. 

 But it would require an elevation of several thousand feet to get the 

 required intensity ; so that we might as well economize our imagina- 

 tion at once by fixing the elevation enough, and say, approximately, 

 three miles. Having done this, the question arises (the elevation 

 being continental) why were there not glaciers on the Allegheny 

 Mountains? Why this distinction in the climate of different localities 

 in the same latitude, so contrary to all known laws of climatology? The 

 answer, these theorists would have us believe, is to be found in the 

 scratches on the rocks, below the gravel, in the central part of the con- 

 tinent, and in the absence of such markings on the bordering mount- 

 ains. The statement of such facts, however, does not constitute an 

 answer to the question, nor tend to support such theoretical views. 

 On the contrary, such facts, standing alone and unaided by the sup- 

 position of an impossible continental elevation, are the only witnesses 

 necessary to disprove the whole glacial theory. They do not 

 account for an Arctic climate, nor for this wonderful diversity of heat 

 and cold, nor is an Arctic climate or the existence of a glacier 

 necessary to account for them. 



The next step, in this theoretical collection, overwhelms the imagina- 

 tion. The North American continent sank five hundred feet below 

 its present level — what for, I can't surmise, and it is quite incompre- 

 hensible to me how Professor Newberry found it out. It may be it 

 was the result of the study of that toy called " Jack in the Box," or a 

 scientific flight of the imagination with old Mother Goose: "Now we 

 go up, up, up, and now we go down, down, downy." The continent 

 popped up, up, up to get cold, with which to make glaciers, to make 

 scratches, and sank down, down, downy to thaw them out again* 

 When this continent was five hundred feet lower than it is now, the 

 ocean covered the land where the principal part of this city stands (?) 



This would account for the finding of so many bones of the walrus, 

 and the Avhale, and the large masses of ocean shells in the embank- 

 ments around this city, if any could be found. If such specimens were 

 found here in abundance, and there was no other way to account for 

 their presence, than by supposing the continent to have gone under 

 five hundred feet, by way of divine baptism, then I suppose we would 

 be compelled to enlarge our faith, so as to take in this step, in the 

 progress of the glacial theory. But if we know that such specimens 



