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7 
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Geology and Topography of Western New York. 89 
tions, sweeping over the tops of the highest mountains, produced 
“by the flux and reflux of mighty deluges, caused by the sud- 
den elevation of mountain chains in various parts of the globe ?”’* 
Sound philosophy forbids these violent presumptions, particularly 
when the facts admit of explanations. more consonant with the 
natural order of events. 
he condition of a continent, gradually elevated from the 
ocean, whether by volcanic action, or by the expansive force of 
crystallization, or by any other cause whatever, would be such 
as to account for all the geological phenomena hitherto attributed 
to the mechanical action of water. Every portion of a continent 
thus reclaimed, must, in succession, have been the bed, and then 
the beach of an ocean. Every portion must have been subjected 
to the action. of the waves and the tides, when lashed into fury 
by the raging storm; and for a period of time only limited by 
the greater or less rapidity of the elevatory process. 
When any considerable portion had become permanently ele- 
vated above tide water, it would form a water shed, collecting 
the rain into rivulets, which, finding their way-to the ocean, 
would cut out narrow channels for their beds. But the effect of 
these streams in the formation of valleys, by denuding and tear- 
ing. up the ‘rocky strata, would be insignificant in comparison 
with the action of the surge at those points where their waters 
were disembogued. As each portion of such channels would 
successively be exposed to their combined action, and must suc- 
eessively form the bed of an estuary at the valley’s mouth, we 
can readily account for their excavation, to a greater or less extent, 
in proportion to the hardness of the rocky bed, to the violence of 
the waves and tides, and the duration of their action. In these 
estuaries; the comminuted materials would assume nearly a hori- 
tion, and when left dry, would resemble the alluvial 
zontal 
plains or “ “ bottoms,” which border most of our rivers. Should 
a sudden rise of a few feet take place, the water would at first 
* Nearly every geological writer; excepting Lyell, whike works have fallen un- 
der my observation, even without including those who have evidently been influ- 
enced more by theological, than scientific views, has drawn largely on these won- 
derful deluges ; and the means by which they ate supposed to-have been produced, 
are equally fanciful with the n itself. The a from which the 
above quotation js taken, (see Hitchcock’ ’s Geol ogy of Mass:, p. 242.) is perhaps 
not avery extravagant specimen of this kind of iypaihetical oS See also 
L. XXXV.—No. 1. — 12 
