70 On tlie Traces of a Vast Ancient Flood. 



least they are not mentioned by the geologists of other coun- 

 tries. Such an as extends near the north gate to Stockholm 

 itself, where the observatory is built on it ; and formerly it 

 reached, under the name of Brunkeberg, down to the Malar- 

 See, but has in later times been dug down and carried away. — 

 The a^ar are met with in several parts of Sweden, and they are 

 often to be seen, at short intervals, and in the same direction, 

 following one another, for several miles, from north to south, a 

 circumstance which would induce the observer to believe that 

 the separate asar are continuations of one and the same ridge. 



Sefstrom has remarked that almost in every place where the 

 surface of the primitive rock has been laid bare, and the cover- 

 ing of sand and earth well washed away by water, not only 

 are traces of abrasion to be found, but also innumerable deep 

 furrows or straight channels, which all run parallel to each 

 other, and in a direction from north to south. 



This appearance, which hitherto has been but little attended 

 to by geologists, was first examined by Sefstrom in the vicinity 

 of Fahlun, and afterwards in several parts of Swedep. He has 

 determined, with good instruments, and with the utmost at- 

 tention to all the circumstances connected with the subject, the 

 direction of these furrows on different parts of one and the 

 same mountain, and on different mountains in the same district. 

 In this manner he has ascertained that these furrows, whex-ever 

 thev occur, are parallel to each other, exactly as if they had 

 been produced by the rubbing of stones across the surface of 

 the mountains. Their direction is in general from north to 

 south, though it is not always constant in different districts, 

 but deviates even on the same mountain a greater or smaller 

 number of degrees, sometimes to the east and sometimes to the 

 west. 



When we take a general view of the results of these exten- 

 sive investigations, they seem to lead us to the following con- 

 clusions : — A general flood, which carried with it an immeasur- 

 able quantity of larger and smaller stones, of gravel and sand, 

 must have traversed Scandinavia in a direction from north-east 

 to south-west. It rolled along with great rapidity, and during 

 its passage ground off and rounded the north sides of all solid 

 objects, so that we find there no sharp edges and angles re- 



