292 PKOP. E. HULL, LL.D., ETC., ON THE SUB-OCEANIC 



following the course ot" these contour lines. The plan of the 

 Adour is the most remarkable of all these river channels from 

 the fact of its running for 100 miles from the very shores of 

 the present coast out into the abysmal ocean. That is shown 

 on a pretty large scale, in fact the same scale as the Admiralty 

 chart. 



I am Yerj glad that Genei'al McMahon goes so far with mo as to 

 admit that these channels can be traced, across the Continental 

 Platform. But I do not see how we can stop there nnle.-s he 

 refuses to admit that the Continental Platform was elevated to the 

 base of the Great Declivity, as I certainly hold most strongly — you 

 cannot stop at 500 fathoms, or 700 fathoms^ or 1,000 fathoms. 

 You must go down to the very base of the declivity in order to 

 restore the former relations of land, and sea, and these channels in 

 many cases — certainly in the case of the Adour, the Loire and the 

 Tagus — are most clearly traceable by means of the contour lines 

 down to the very base of the escarpment showing the lowest 

 point at which the ocean washed the coasts of the ancient shore. 



Then as regards the time ; — I can^ hardly put any reasonable 

 limit to the time of the Great Ice Age. That was the period, no 

 doubt, of the greatest elevation, for the greatest cold was pro- 

 duced, then ; and if T am right in assuming that cold was pro- 

 duced by the elevation of the land then it would be at the time 

 of the highest elevation. The results of the Great Ice Age, both 

 in Europe and other countries, are so remarkable that the lapse of 

 time must have been very great, probably quite sufficient to 

 enable the rivers to cut down their channels to the base of the 

 declivity. Then General McMahon says. '"Why are not the 

 channels filled up ? "' I am sorry to say that to a great extent, 

 they are filled up by silt spread over the floor. If it were not for 

 that, I believe every one of these river valleys could be traced 

 from its present evibouchiire to its emergence on the floor of the 

 abyssal ocean. 



Perhaps I may be allowed to read an interesting note from 

 Dr. Nansen. I sent him a report of my lecture on this subject which 

 appears in the Geographical Journal, and he says, "Dear I^rof. Hull, 

 accept my most hearty thanks for your kindness in sending me your 

 interesting paper on the sub-oceanic terraces and river valleys off the 

 coast of Western Europe, which I have read carefully, and appreciate 

 very much. Yours very sincerely, (Signed) Nansen, April, 1899." 



The Meeting then terminated. 



