'232 WAEEEN UPHAM^ ESQ., ON CAUSES OP THE ICE AGE. 



the appearance of massive ice-slieets in Europe and North 

 America shows that the relative level of land and sea in those 

 regions was much the same as it is now. Mr. Upham cannot but 

 admit this, but would fain minimise the admission, which is, in 

 fact, fatal to his h3'pothesis. He says, " it must be acknowledged 

 that the pre-glacial high elevation which I think these areas 

 experienced was geologically very short." I do not see on what 

 definite geological evidence Mr. Upham bases this statement, and 

 would regard it as a conjecture resting on a predilection for a 

 particular hypothesis, which would vanish if a prolonged period 

 of pre-glacial elevation were to be admitted. And a little further 

 on I note that he admits that the fjord regions of North 

 America and North-West Europe must have experienced a very 

 long time of pre-glacial elevation. 



In reply to my argument that the frequent occurrence of marine 

 deposits intercalated amongst and associated with the glacial 

 deposits proves that, during the Ice Age, the land could not have 

 been greatly elevated, he says that " in the complex series of drift- 

 deposits " we have only the records of " the closing phase of the 

 Ice Age, while the land was low or near its present level." This 

 statement will not stand examination. I do not believe it is true 

 of the glacial deposits of North America, and it is certainly not 

 true of their European equivalents. The very earliest of the 

 glacial accumulations of North West Europe are marine clays, etc., 

 with Arctic shells. 



Mr. Upham is aware that the existence of inter-glacial deposits 

 is another stumbling-block over which his hypothesis must 

 come to grief. He, therefore, explains them away by referring 

 to the phenomena seen in the neighboarhood of the Malaspina 

 glacier. Can Mr. Upham really think that the phenomena he 

 refers to have been overlooked by those who have specially studied 

 inter-glacial deposits ? That glaciers advance and retreat periodi- 

 cally, and that now and again organic remains and alluvial 

 deposits may become intercalated amongst moraine debris — are 

 facts which I venture to say have never been overlooked by 

 glacialists of any school whatever. But such considei'ations 

 entirely fail to explain the occurrence of what are known as inter- 

 glacial beds. Take, for example, the inter-glacial peat and 

 lignite-beds of Schleswig Holstein and North Germany. These 

 contain a flora indicative of more genial conditions than now exist 



