380 



Mr. Desor read a paper on the Parallelism of Mountain 

 Chains in America, as follows : — 



It is generally admitted that the Appalachian or Alleghany 

 chain was raised during the deposition of the Coal formation. 

 It is consequently referred by Mr. Beaumont to his system of 

 the Balloons, the direction of which (E. 16° S.), when trans- 

 ferred to Washington, becomes E. 43° 18' N., a direction which 

 indeed answers pretty accurately to that of the main portion of 

 the Alleghany chain. This is also, according to Dr. C. T. Jack- 

 son, the main direction of the hills of New Hampshire and 

 Maine. But there is besides in the Alleghanies another direction 

 more nearly parallel to the meridian, which Professor Rogers 

 considers as a mere deviation from the main direction, whereas 

 Mr. Beaumont refers it to a previous upheaval, together with 

 those ranges of hills in Massachusetts which Prof. Hitchcock has 

 designated as the "oldest meridional system," and whose direc- 

 tion is a few degrees east of north. According to Mr. Beau- 

 mont, this latter system would not only be older than the Alle- 

 ghanies, but even older than the oldest Silurian strata of North 

 America, since it is supposed to have originated previous to the 

 Taconic system. 



Now to this system is ascribed a most conspicuous part in the 

 constitution of the soil, not only of New England but of the 

 whole continent, so that if true it must be of paramount import- 

 ance. From Massachusetts, Mr. Beaumont traces it in a south, 

 southwest direction to the mouth of the Connecticut, and in the 

 opposite direction across New Hampshire and the White Moun- 

 tains to the sources of the Connecticut, from whence it extends 

 across Labrador to Cape Chisley ; nor is it supposed to stop 

 here, for Mr. Beaumont follows it even beyond Davis' Strait into 

 Greenland. The range is said to be not less extensive in the 

 southern direction. Representing it as a great circle, starting 

 from Amherst College in a direction south 15°, he supposes 

 it to run parallel to the general direction of the coast of the 

 United States from the mouth of the Hudson to Cape Hatteras. 

 From thence it is supposed to cross the eastern portion of Cuba, 

 the Isthmus of Panama, and then to touch Cape Guyaquil, pass- 

 ing a litle outside of the Coast of Choco, in a direction parallel 

 to the principal mountain chains of New Grenada. 



