Facts from the Arcana of Nature. 99 



of the Earth. The consequence of a continuous change in 

 this centre, in one direction, must be the progressive increase 

 of depth of the seas, in what, — if we still hold that the poles 

 and equator are unchangeable in position, upon the Earth's 

 surface, — we can only describe as the thus enlarging hemi- 

 sphere. As the depth of water increases, the coast lines 

 appear to be depressed, and vice versa, with regard to coasts 

 from which the waters are receding. Sir J. C. Ross observes 

 that Baron Yon Humboldt suggested the fixing of solid, 

 and well secured marks, for the purpose of showing the mean 

 level of the ocean at a given epoch, stating that, " if similar 

 measures had been taken during Cook and Bouganville's 

 earliest voyages, we should now be in possession of the 

 necessary data for determining whether secular variations in 

 the relative level cf land and sea, is a general or merely a local 

 phenomenon, and whether any law is discoverable in the 

 direction of the points which rise or sink simultaneously." 

 Observations in meteorology demonstrate that a large 

 portion of the vapour abstracted by solar heat from the sea 

 surface, throughout the globe, and lands moistened by tropical 

 rains, or other causes, ascends to the higher regions of the 

 atmosphere, and is conveyed by perpetually flowing air 

 currents, towards the poles. Upon contact with air of Arctic 

 temperature, whether on the lofty peaks of the Himalayas 

 and Andes, in temperate zones, or within the margin of the 

 frigid zones, this air-borne vapour becomes crystallized, and 

 descends as snow, accumulating in vast bulk upon elevated 

 lands, and ice barriers to the altitude of mountains ; which 

 continue to increase from century to century. A concomitant 

 result is noted in these regions, especially towards the south 

 western edge of the Arctic circle, namely, that the ocean level 

 is rising upon adjacent coast lines, according to observations 

 in West Greenland, and records of deficiency of atmospheric 

 pressure at sea surface, in the higher latitudes of America 

 and north-eastern Asia. It has been also observed that, while 

 the European seas are receding from the shores, and depressing 

 their surfaces, so that straits in the Baltic, formerly navigable, 

 are being gradually closed to shipping, the southern ocean, 

 adjacent to the coasts of Australasia, have evidently under- 

 gone progressive elevation during a prolonged period, without 

 any interval of corresponding depression. Also, that while 

 the climate of Europe is gradually ameliorating (and this, 

 although the surrounding seas are, — from diffusion of cold 

 currents, the result of frequent drifts of ice, dissolving in the 



