35 



Concluding Remarks. 



As the general result of the facts detailed in this and the pre- 

 ceding paper, we may conclude —that the floods \\ Inch produced 

 the diluvial detritus swept over every part of England-* that they 

 were put in motion by no powers of nature with which we are 

 acquainted— and that they took place during an epoch which 

 was posterior to the deposition of all the regular strata of the 

 earth, and prior to all known accumulations of alluvial matter. 



We have evidence enough to justify us in extending the same 

 conclusions to every part of the European basin, and there is 

 some evidence which makes it probable that they may be 

 extended to the remotest parts of the earth's surface. 'Indeed 

 the mighty disturbing forces which produced the accumulations 

 of diluvial detritus between the western extremities of Europe 

 and the central plains of Asia, must probably have acted with 

 sufficient energy to leave some traces of their power over every 

 quarter of the globe. On the continent of America the succes- 

 sion of formations seems to be very nearly the same with that of 

 our own country ; and over all the regular strata, there occur in 

 many places alluvial and diluvial formations in every respect like 

 those of Europe. It is, therefore, to say the least of it, probable, 

 that the diluvial phenomena of Europe and America belong to 

 the same epoch. 



The actual duration of the diluvian era, it is of course impos- 

 sible to ascertain ; for as the powers of the agent are unknown, 

 it is obviously impossible for us to form an estimate of the time 

 which was necessary to the production of such effects as are 

 visible on the earth's surface. The facts which have been 

 detailed seem, however, to make it probable that the floods 

 which produced the diluvial gravel were sudden and transient. 



In the present state of our information, we have certainly no 

 evidence to prove that all the highest elevations of the globe 

 were submerged by the diluvian waters ; for the form of the 

 great mountain chains may have been produced by some more 

 ancient catastrophe, and we have no right to assume the exist- 

 ence of diluvial detritus in parts of the world which have not. 

 been examined, or which are inaccessible. We have, however, 

 direct evidence to piove, that the diluvian floods acted on some 

 of the highest points of Europe, and ii is probable also that they 

 have acted on some of the highest parts of Asia. 



As we are unacquainted with the forces uhich put the dilu- 

 vian waters in motion, we are also, with verv limited excep- 

 tions, unable to determine the direction in which the currents have 

 moved over the earth's surface. Many parts of the north of 

 Europe seem to have been swept over by a great current which 

 set in from the north. In some parts of Scotland there has been 



