19 
From such tendency came the hypothesis of huge floods coming 
somehow, and from somewhere, sweeping across continents with 
irresistible power, carrying before them all loose materials and even 
great rock masses. The general term ‘“ diluvium” was applied to 
the deposits, while references more or less vague were made to the 
Deluge of Noah. When our early geologists were pressed to 
account for these torrential floods, they spoke of the sudden upris- 
ing of mountain chains, like the Alps, Himalayas, and Andes. 
Certainly if we can but hypothetically allow a sudden emergence 
from the depth of the sea of a mountain ridge 500 to 1,000 miles 
long, and 15,000ft. or 20,000ft. high, we shall be at no loss to 
account for destructive currents of water over the lands. But 
such catastrophes and cataclysms have long ago been rejected in 
geology. You mayfind a somewhat sensational, very circumstantial 
and highly interesting account of these floods in Figuier’s ‘‘ World 
before the Deluge.” He tells us that “There is very distinct 
evidence of two successive deluges in the northen hemisphere. He 
gives us a practical illustration of one, caused by the upheaval of 
the Norwegian mountains; it covered all the plains and valleys of 
Northern Europe with a mantle of shifting soil. It carried with it 
‘enormous masses of ice; and the shock produced by the collision 
of these several solid blocks of frozen water would only contribute 
to increase the extent and intensity of the ravages occasioned by 
this violent cataclysm, which (he says) is represented in Plate xxx,” 
(Shown). 
The time will not allow us to enter more at length into the 
hypothesis of this altogether abnormal flood, the account of which 
you can easily read for yourselves, together with the proofs of its 
occurrence. In their calmer moments men began gradually to 
doubt the soundness of such an explanation. They found these 
travelled blocks of stone, these erratics, some of them weighing 
thousands of tons, lying, perhaps, hundreds of miles from their 
original homes ; and they said, ‘‘No; no possible floods can ac- 
count for them.’’ For,in many instances, these huge erratics have 
been actually carried up hill, and over into the next valley ; and 
though a strong flood of water might possibly assist gravitation in 
hurling them down a slope, we cannot image such a flood 
against the power of gravitation carrying them up another 
one. It was not long before men noticed certain portions of 
- the earth were absolutely free from these irregular phenomena ; 
-that they were not to be detected in the countries round the Medi- 
terranean ; that they occurred only in the colder regions, becoming 
more and more numerous as we travel northward and approach 
the Pole. It was said that no traces of them had been seen in the 
tropics, but that they re-appeared as we neared the South Pole. 
