﻿274 Canadian Record of Science. 



tries outside Europe, have conducted or introduced such a 

 study of their lands at the public expense. Not only the 

 United States, but also Canada, Australia, New Zealand, 

 Japan possess such institutions. Where such depart- 

 ments are wanting, enterprising travellers have extended 

 our knowledge ; chief of these, Ferdinand von Richbhofen 

 in his comprehensive work on China. The English and 

 Eussians have explored the high mountains of Central 

 Asia, and one may say that at the present time we 

 possess at least some knowledge of the geological structure 

 of by far the largest part of the surface of the earth. 



The government undertakings just referred to generally 

 suffer, however, from the fact that their work leaves off at 

 political boundaries. -These political boundaries by no 

 means correspond to natural divisions ; frequently they 

 follow a watershed and one side of the mountain range 

 belongs to one country and the other to a neighboring 

 land. So it is, for instance, with the Giant Mountains 

 (Riesengebirge) through which I travelled to-day. Only 

 when the public surveys of the different countries are 

 united, is a correct picture of the real significance of 

 certain details in the structure of the surface of the 

 earth obtained. The picture of such things which we 

 to-day possess is, therefore, not due to the labors of 

 individuals, but is the product of a mass of concerted 

 work. 



A special and important brancli of geology consists 

 of the studies regarding the origin of the present surface 

 relief. For a very long time every system of mountains 

 was considered as having been formed by the upheaval of 

 a linear zone of the crust of the earth, the so-called axis 

 of the system, the lateral ranges being disposed on either 

 side of this axis and symmetrical to it. The upheaval of the 

 central axis was regarded as having been caused in much 

 the same way as volcanoes were presumed to have been 

 formed. A force, acting from within the earth, was 



