— 38 - 



of the author's discoveries) without damaging it's iinportance 

 and therefore it's sale. But fortunately, this contains enough 

 of specimens, for cnabling us to pass judgment on the Avhole. 

 We should (as aforesaid) expect to find active volcanoes only 

 in elevated positions, whether Continental orinsular, i. e. on the 

 central line of direction, in which the volcanic upheaving force 

 was proceeding. If Mr. Darwin had brought forward , so much 

 of the information which he surely possesses, as should have 

 defined in latitude and longitude the whereabouts of his // Asi- 

 atic band" perhaps some items at least , of the total information 

 wanted, might have been supplied to him. As regards the is- 

 lands snpposed by him. to be now subsiding, we opine that the 

 inliabitants , may very safely take that supposition as being 

 nothing more than a supposition; many folks besides Mr. Dar- 

 wïN fmd little or no difficulty in convincing themselves, that 

 their favorite opinions are the truth, and nothing but the truth, 

 but, seldom find much ease or success in the attempt to con- 

 vince others, who liave adopted different and contravening con- 

 clusions. The word // answer" does not seem to be here used 

 so appropriately , as the word observe, or remark, would have 

 been. Howbeit if Mr. Darwin does not mean, what we in 

 common with captain Wilkes , and probably most of those who 

 have received the light of these lucubrations , suppose that he 

 did, namely, that an equalor proportional amount of subsidence 

 and of elevation is taking place, theu, pity it is, that he has 

 not told us what he did intend us to understand. '/ The vol- 

 canic mounds" in islands, are we presume, at least as mucli 

 isolated, as those that exist in the continent of Europe; if so, 

 the configuration of the reefs, must be admitted, only as neu- 

 tral spectators, not as active coadjutors in the establishing of 

 Mr. Darwin's law. We think, tliat we can on a very different 

 theory than his, obtain //some judgment" of the prevailing mo- 

 vements of the earth's crust, during the formation of all it's 

 series of strata, from the most primary, up to the latest sedi- 

 mentary deposit formation. 



XXVI. » Any tliinj which ihrows liglit on ihe movcments of the ground 



