280 Tertiary. 



direction is to the north. Of course this would destroy much of the 

 beauty and symmetry of the glacial theory, but there would be one 

 thing in its favor — it would not be reversing the laws of nature. 



South of the Laurentide mountains, the surface of the rocks beneath 

 the bowlder clay is generally striated in the direction of the valleys. 

 This pursuit of the valleys by the lines of striatiou may be observed 

 from the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence up the St. Lawrence, and 

 down the Champlain and Hudson river valle3's. No one who has read 

 the description of these markings by Prof. Dawson can have any doubt 

 that the bodies which produced them came from the Atlantic ocean at 

 the eastern end of the Laurentian range of mountains, and following 

 up the St. Lawrence were drifted to the south at various angles, some 

 floating over New Brunswick, and others over Maine, and others pass- 

 ing up so far as to drift through Lake Champlain, and re enter the 

 Atlantic ocean by the Hudson river, while others drifted past Montreal, 

 and were driven into the mouth of the Ottawa river valley, and the 

 ancient valley of Ontario. 



In New Brunswick, which is immediately south of the gulf, the 

 striae are related to the contour of the surface of the land, and conform 

 to the direction of the river valleys. A southeasterly course prevails 

 in the western part of Charlotte county, and a southwestern course in 

 the valleys east and northeast of St. John. A map of the State of 

 Maine, showing the course of the rivers will show the course of the stritB. 

 The appearance of the surface geology of this State early suggested the 

 fact that a great rush of waters poured over it from a northerly source, 

 and transported, by its power, the surface debris which had accumu- 

 lated in earlier ages by subserial forces, and large masses of rock from 

 parent ledges, and deposited them in regions more or less distant from 

 the several sources, and as they passed along they striated and grooved 

 the rocks against which they impinged, or over which they rubbed in 

 the traveled course. The course of the striae is, therefore, in nearly all 

 directions. If the rivers are flowing in valleys, bearing to the south- 

 east, the striae have that course, or if south or southwest, the striae 

 conform to the valley. Sometimes striae have been found which ulti- 

 mately varied at right angles from their original direction. The Katah- 

 din mountains formed an obstruction around which the striating 

 agency operated, but it did not cross the summit. The striai are found 

 upon the north side of the mountains, and not upon the south side, 

 unless for a short distance where the slope is small. The striae in the 

 States of Vermont and New Hampshire are in all directions, and it is 



