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A Uniformity of Climate prevailed over the Earth prior to 

 the time of the Deluge ? 



It appears from the observations of geologists, that during the 

 earlier periods of the earth's formation, tliere did not exist, 

 among the then created animals and vegetables, that kind of 

 geographical distribution which characterizes the organized 

 beings of our time. Thus, in the lias and oolite deposites, by 

 far the greater number of fossil vegetables belong to the family of 

 Cycadaea ; indeed, sixteen of the kinds distinguished by Brong- 

 niart, which is more than one-fourth of the whole, have a reference 

 to the present existing genera Zamia and Cycas ; — genera that 

 belong to those which grow between the tropics, or on the confines 

 of the tropics. In like manner, the stems of Equisetum cohim^ 

 nare, Brong,, ten feet long, which occur so abundantly in the 

 lias, and leaves, from four to five feet long, of the genus Menis- 

 cum, also met with in this formation, belong to productions of 

 a warm climate. The wide distribution of these fossil plants is 

 also in favour of a uniformity of climate. Well defined re- 

 mains of Equisetum columnare have been found in strata of lias, 

 from the southern acclivity of the Alps to near the northern 

 extremity of Scotland, in an extent, therefore, of fully 12 degrees 

 of latitude ; and the Ferns and Cycadaea, found along with them, 

 belong to the same species, or to species so nearly allied, that 

 we may justly conclude the external circumstances under which 

 they existed were very much alike. According to Dr Richard- 

 son, there occurs, on the banks of the Mackenzie River, as far 

 as 70° N. Lat., a coal formation, along with limestone and bi- 

 tuminous shale, which formation is probably identical with that 

 in the county of Sutherland, in the north of Scotland. He 

 found in it Ferns and Lepidodendrons ; and the animal remains 

 enumerated agree pretty well with those of the lias and Jura for- 

 mation. There is, therefore, little probability of its being dis- 

 proved, that, during the deposition of the lias, the same tempe- 

 rature prevailed in all countries, where this universal deposite 

 was formed. M. Brongniart, and others, are inclined to believe, 

 that the climate of the globe has changed gradually from the 

 earliest to the present period. But proofs of the universal dis- 



