72 On the Traces of a Vast Ancient Flood, 



The asar were always formed, as it would appear, on the 

 lee side, that is on the south side of the high objects, which last 

 so broke the strength of the stream, as to cause the deposition 

 of the pebbles. It is impossible to conjecture the nature of the 

 force Avhich set the stream in motion. The direction proves, 

 that it was not the rotation of the earth acting on a fluid mass 

 which had not yet acquired the rapidity of rotation. 



Sefstrom thinks that the riesentopje are a consequence of the 

 action of this stream, and from the time that was necessary for 

 their formation, he concludes that this stream had a very long 

 duration before the equilibrium on the earth was established. — 

 It is not yet known if any thing corresponding to our asar and 

 to the furrows on our mountains has been found in other coun- 

 tries ; but probably a revolution so violent was not confined to 

 only a small portion of the earth's surface. 



Additional RemarTiS hy Mr Poggendorff. 



The riesentopfe (Swedish Jdttegryttor), which were men- 

 tioned even by Bergmann in his " Welibeschreibung''' {de^crv^iion 

 of the world) vol. II. 3. 193, are basin-shaped, smooth -sided 

 hollows in solid rock, which are met with at various points in 

 Scandinavia, in the present and ancient beds of rivers, also on 

 the coasts, and on the bed of the sea ; and are sometimes so 

 large as to afford room for several persons. Their formation 

 seems originally to have been caused either by a stream of water 

 bursting forth laterally from a projection in a very hard rock, 

 or by one which descended from a considerable height ; stones 

 which collected in hollows formed in this manner, and which 

 would be kept by the stream for a long time in perpetual move- 

 ment, have evidently perfected the work of washing and grind- 

 ing. From Professor Sefstrom, to whose oral communication 

 I am indebted for this notice, we may expect a more detailed 

 account of these remarkable appearances. 



From the same source I have obtained the information which 

 authorises me to ooserve that the asar always exhibit at their 

 northern extremity, and only there, a fixed, standing rock ; a 

 phenomenon which, on the assumption of a violent flood from 

 the north, has led to the conclusion that it was these very 

 rocks, which, by affording shelter from the flood, gave rise 

 to the accumulation of the narrow and far extending allu- 



