Ancient Deluges. 



53T 



point even to Greenland, no tertiary deposit has been discovered along 

 the coast. It follows that the American continent has experienced a 

 sort of see-saw movement, (mouvement de bascule,) which has raised 

 its western side and sunk its eastern : so that we may attribute a very 

 recent origin to the Andes."* I confess myself rather sceptical in 

 regard to these conclusions. But even if it be admitted that the west- 

 ern side of this continent is of a comparatively recent origin, it may 

 still be true, that its eastern side was elevated at a very early period. 



Ancient Deluges. 



If it be true that continents and vast chains of mountains were ele- 

 vated at different periods, and by paroxysmal efforts, it is impossible 

 but that deluges of tremendous violence and universal extent, should 

 have been the consequence. Accordingly we find traces of such del- 

 uges in the vast beds of conglomerates that exist in the sedimentary 

 deposits ; and also in the frequent extinctions and renewals of an- 

 imal and vegetable life, which appear to have taken place on the 

 globe. For such deluges must have been fatal to organized exis- 

 tence : at least to a great extent. But I doubt whether geology is yet 

 enough advanced to be able to trace particular destructions of organ- 

 ized beings to particular epochs of elevation with their attendant del- 

 uges. In respect to the rocks of Massachusetts, I feel utterly unable 

 to trace any such connections. Yet our rocks show the occurrence of 

 several very powerful deluges in early times. The earliest of these, 

 by which the materials of the Roxbury and Rhode Island conglom- 

 erates were accumulated, must have been of great power : and if, as 

 I suppose, the latter conglomerate was deposited much earlier than 

 the former, two such deluges must have been required. The new 

 red sandstone affords evidence of numerous deluges during its deposi- 

 tion, in the numerous alternations of coarse and fine materials of 

 Avhich it is composed. Two periods during its production appear to 

 have been particularly distinguished for powerful diluvial action. 

 In the first, those conglomerated beds, made up chiefly of the ruins of 

 granite and associated with the lower beds of sandstone, were accu- 

 mulated. In the second, that very coarse conglomerate, cheifly com- 

 posed of various schists and connected with the higher shales and 

 sandstones, was brought into its present situation. The osseous con- 

 glomerate connected with the plastic clay indicates diluvial action 



♦Recherches &c, Chap. 2. p. 321. 

 68 



