106 



In Virginia these substances are found in a stiff 

 blue clay ; and even on the Mississippi, Mr. Stoddard 

 says, when speaking of the Delta. " these are buried 

 in a substratum of black earth, below the level of the 

 ocean, and already begin to be decomposed, and con- 

 verted into fossil fuel."* 



From hence, the obvious conclusion is, that at some 

 one or more memorable epochs, the entire mass of al- 

 luvial formation, under which these vegetable remains 

 are found, with a few exceptions near the mouths of 

 rivers, was deposited upon them, and that too, by a 

 general inundation, that was agitated and propelled by 

 a current, which raised the yielding soil from one 

 place, and carried and deposited it in another. 



Let us now see how far this conclusion is supported 

 by the facts which I have stated. 



The bivalve and other shells, found near Bruns- 

 wick (S. Main) at the depth of twenty feet, together 

 with < c rolled stones of granite or gneiss having bar- 

 nacles adhering to them" are found only at, or near 

 that depth. Now there being no appearance of any 

 thing of the kind in the intermediate space between the 

 surface and that depth, I am led to inquire, how we 

 shall reconcile the opinion, that the alluvial deposites 

 or districts were formed in the course of ages by the 

 annual overflowing and deposites of rivers ? If they 

 originated from tijis cause, we might very naturally 

 expect to find univalve shells of certain kinds, (though 



* Stoddard 's Sketches, page 159. 



