﻿222 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Mar. 
  9, 
  

  

  III. 
  Conclusion. 
  

  

  1. 
  General 
  considerations. 
  — 
  Missing 
  formations 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  

   several 
  consequences 
  of 
  emergence 
  and 
  immersion, 
  themselves 
  the 
  

   effects 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  cosmic 
  agencies 
  — 
  oscillation 
  of 
  level 
  — 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  gradual 
  or 
  paroxysmal, 
  through 
  all 
  the 
  degrees 
  of 
  

   velocity 
  and 
  energy. 
  

  

  Oscillation 
  is, 
  in 
  a 
  sense, 
  universal 
  in 
  time 
  and 
  place 
  ; 
  but, 
  appa- 
  

   rently, 
  its 
  action 
  is 
  irregular. 
  While 
  its 
  influence 
  is 
  felt 
  in 
  most 
  

   places, 
  as 
  well 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  continents 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  ocean 
  depths, 
  it 
  is 
  

   most 
  easily 
  detected 
  near 
  great 
  waters 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  both 
  

   great 
  and 
  small 
  breadths 
  of 
  country 
  which 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  places 
  of 
  

   comparative 
  rest. 
  The 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  axial 
  

   lines 
  of 
  Scandinavia 
  and 
  the 
  South 
  Seas 
  ; 
  but 
  Egypt 
  *, 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Danubian 
  Valley, 
  of 
  Borneo, 
  and 
  Venice 
  (E. 
  de 
  Beaumont) 
  all 
  seem 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  long 
  stationary. 
  Oscillation 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  power 
  

   which 
  operates 
  from 
  beneath 
  through 
  all 
  existing 
  groups 
  of 
  strata. 
  

   It 
  necessitates 
  and 
  facilitates 
  the 
  emigration 
  of 
  animals 
  and 
  plants, 
  

   kills 
  or 
  multiplies 
  life, 
  driving 
  it 
  far 
  and 
  wide 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  proper 
  

   pressure, 
  food, 
  shelter, 
  and 
  such 
  like. 
  Great 
  elevation 
  conduces 
  to 
  

   variety 
  in 
  life, 
  and 
  great 
  depression 
  extinguishes 
  the 
  higher 
  forms 
  of 
  

   life. 
  

  

  Emergence 
  gives 
  us 
  dry 
  land 
  of 
  different 
  forms 
  and 
  heights, 
  with 
  

   processes 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  action. 
  Such 
  tracts 
  are 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  seas, 
  which 
  lay 
  down 
  their 
  insoluble 
  contents, 
  and 
  are 
  

   charged 
  with 
  living 
  communities 
  during 
  countless 
  ages, 
  largely 
  fed 
  

   and 
  varied 
  by 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  emerged 
  soil. 
  The 
  dry 
  surfaces 
  

   are 
  subjected 
  to 
  a 
  particular 
  course 
  of 
  operations 
  ; 
  minute 
  subdivision, 
  

   redistribution, 
  and 
  removal 
  of 
  their 
  substance 
  set 
  in 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  

   undergo 
  fertilizing 
  and 
  other 
  changes 
  from 
  solvent, 
  solar, 
  and 
  chemical 
  

   influences. 
  Marshes, 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers, 
  ridges, 
  slopes 
  and 
  plains, 
  are 
  

   formed, 
  receiving 
  stray 
  germs 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  other 
  quarters, 
  which 
  they 
  

   nourish 
  and 
  multiply, 
  but 
  often 
  suffer 
  to 
  perish. 
  The 
  dry 
  land 
  thus 
  

   serves 
  as 
  a 
  nursery 
  and 
  storehouse 
  to 
  the 
  seas 
  around 
  it, 
  as 
  they 
  lay 
  

   down 
  the 
  representatives 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  epoch. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  not 
  follow 
  this 
  process 
  now 
  through 
  its 
  many 
  changes, 
  but 
  

   must 
  be 
  well 
  content 
  to 
  refer 
  my 
  readers 
  to 
  Dana's 
  ' 
  Manual.' 
  

  

  So 
  much 
  for 
  emergence 
  in 
  few 
  words 
  ; 
  but 
  denudation 
  has 
  also 
  

   been 
  a 
  mighty 
  agent 
  in 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  strata 
  and 
  their 
  contents. 
  

   It 
  must 
  always 
  occur 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  just 
  before 
  emergence 
  is 
  at- 
  

   tained 
  ; 
  and 
  also 
  when 
  changes 
  of 
  level 
  occur 
  elsewhere 
  within 
  

  

  * 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  Phillips 
  finds 
  that 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Somme, 
  of 
  the 
  Aire, 
  and 
  of 
  

   Amiens 
  have 
  undergone 
  no 
  convulsion 
  nor 
  upheaval 
  since 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hippopotamus 
  major 
  and 
  the 
  Irish 
  Elk. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  simply 
  a 
  con- 
  

   tinuous 
  river-action 
  (Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Greol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xvi. 
  p. 
  54). 
  

  

  For 
  points 
  of 
  rest, 
  see 
  Agassiz, 
  in 
  Bache's 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  Survey, 
  

   1850 
  ; 
  Hochstetter, 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  Geol. 
  de 
  France, 
  2 
  e 
  serie. 
  vol. 
  xvii. 
  

   p. 
  108 
  ; 
  Darwin, 
  Edin. 
  New 
  Phil. 
  Journ. 
  vol. 
  lv. 
  p. 
  250 
  ; 
  Phipson, 
  Nieuport, 
  

   West 
  Flanders 
  ; 
  Hugh 
  Miller, 
  Testimony 
  of 
  the 
  Rocks, 
  p. 
  124, 
  Roman 
  Wall, 
  

   St. 
  Michael's 
  Mount; 
  Rozet, 
  Fixed 
  Axis, 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  Greol. 
  de 
  France, 
  vol. 
  xiii. 
  

   p. 
  175 
  ; 
  Durocher, 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  Geol. 
  de 
  France, 
  2 
  e 
  s£rie, 
  vol. 
  vi. 
  p. 
  200. 
  

  

  