304 Apparent objections to the Glacial Theory. 



submerged, what other agent would be required to scatter the 

 blocks than the retiring waves as they rushed impetuously down the 

 channels which the valleys formed, and what more natural than that 

 the first violent down rush of the retreating waters should have 

 heaped up detritus "against the opposite escarpment," until it 

 overtopped the depression in Stainmore Forest, and discharged 

 itself over the then rising barrier, into the valleys of the Greta and 

 the Tees? Taking the Fells as the point or chief point of up» 

 heavement, it is evident that the divergence of valleys from it as a 

 centre, is natural and necessary, for such is the arrangement in 

 every quarter of the globe where mountains and hills occur ; there 

 being always some points of upheavement from which valleys 

 descend and diverge in various directions ; so that if the elevated 

 land happens to be detached or isolated, it will necessarily consti- 

 tute a focus or central point from which valleys and glens will ra- 

 diate around it. Now such appears to be the arrangement in the 

 locality under consideration, the Fell being the focus from which 

 valleys descend to the north, south and east. 



The retiring waters would therefore naturally rush down these 

 valleys, and scatter the erratics and detritus precisely in the direc- 

 tion and order in which they now occur. A wave descending 

 to the north from Shap Fells would convey the blocks to the 

 village of Shap, and distribute them throughout the intervening 

 space ; another wave ranging to the south, would deposit the boul- 

 ders on the then uprising hills and in the valleys descending by 

 Highborrow Bridge to Kendal ; whilst a third great wave proceeding 

 eastwards betwixt Crosby, Ravensworth and Orton would traverse 

 transversely the upper part of the valley of the Eden, near Brough, 

 and accumulate piles of detritus against the opposite uprising escarp- 

 ment, and rushing over the hills of Stainmore Forest, would disgorge 

 itself into the valleys of the Greta and the Tees, which form the 

 drainage of the country. A glance at the accompanying map 

 Plate xxii. will moreover point out, that water is the only agent 

 which could so have acted, for a glacier crossing the valley and 

 encountering the escarpment opposed to its onward passage, would 

 only have accumulated ice along that base until the lateral pres- 

 sure caused by the streams in the higher parts of the valley would 



