Association of American Geologists.and Naturalists. 153 
The void, from which the earth was taken; remains to this day, 
and is as evidently an artificial excavation, to form an artificial 
hill, as any modern fortification with its ditch and glacis. . There 
remains not the smallest doubt, that these mounds were erected 
both as sepulchres, for distinguished individuals, and as monu- 
ments of victories. The remains of the dead have been often 
found in them, either. skeletons or ashes—with heads of spears, 
swords, bones of horses, dogs and other domestic animals, some- 
* times beads, trinkets, and female ornaments, articles dear to the 
departed while living and which were believed to be important 
to them in another world. 
Prof. H. D. Rogers remarked in relation to Mr. Lyell’s opin- 
ion of the gradual. rising of the North American terraces, that if 
such was the case, fossil shells or marine sedimentary accumula- 
tions, should be found at alls elevations on the mountain slopes, 
which are covered with marks of diluvial action, at every height. 
It has not been shown by examination that such is the case, 
hence he infers that the cause which produced the elevation was 
paroxysmal in its operation and effects, and not secular, or grad- 
ual, and uninterrupted: In order to explain the theory of diluvi- 
al phenomena, he would suppose with Mr. Lyell, and others, that 
the region around the north pole was capped with ice, in immense 
masses, and that by a sudden outburst of volcanic action, this was 
eimpersed, and sent in a quaquaversal direction towards the equa- 
tor. But if: we suppose that this was accompanied by an earth- 
quake, rocking; or wave-like motion, of the bed of the ocean, the 
whole mass of ‘torn-up strata would be shoved violently from N. 
to S., and at every heaving of the earth, a mass of water would 
be thrown forward, like the rolling in of a tremendous surf. Mr. 
Couthouy’s observations among the coral islands, would go to 
strengthen this theory, while the rocking movement of the earth’s 
surface during an earthquake, had been long ago admitted. 
Mr. Couthouy remarked in relation to the paroxysmal rise of 
the land at intervals, that on one island which he had visited, 
which was about two hundred feet in elevation ; about one half 
way from the base to the summit, the face of the cliff was deep- 
ly sea-worn and indented ; as its present base would appear should 
it be at this moment tuned above the ocean level, when it would 
present similar marks of powerful and long continued action of 
Water, at the part which was before on a line with the sea... In 
Vol. xzut, No, 1.—April-June, 1842. 20 
