ORGANIC RELICS. 



But we find marine organic relics intermingled with the land 

 relics, in the carboniferous formation of the fifth series, (terti- 

 ary.) 



Alterna- From these and other established facts, we are authorized to 



tions of land 



and water, infer, that the waters of the ocean have covered the earth and 

 retired alternately, several times, (at least three or four times) 

 and remained for many years, or even centuries, each time. 

 Hypothesis A satisfactory account of these alternations has not been 



of alterna- . i • i • i tt. • 



tions of land given, as to the particular times or the causes. But it may 

 rehcs?^^^"^ not be at variance with fact to imagine, that the waters retired 

 at the termination of each calcareous deposite, and that land 

 plants sprung up immediately after, calcareous strata always 

 being uppermost. And that after a few centuries, the ocean 

 again overflowed the earth, and enveloped the vegetables in 

 argillaceous shity deposites of argilhte or graywack ; which 

 vegetables afterwards became charred and mineralized, form- 

 ing coal. The quarizose and calcareous deposites followed. 

 Again the waters retired, and again vegetables grew ; and the 

 whole process was again repeated. These alternating opera- 

 tions were repeated, until the five series were formed. Such a 

 conjecture is in accordance with the known fact, that the cal- 

 careous deposites are all succeeded by land vegetables in slat**, 

 rocks, mostly in a charred state. These rocks are preceded 

 and succeeded by rocks containing marine relics. 

 Lan^ plants These hypotheses may perhaps be pursued in a future publi- 

 ved on cal- cation, wherein I may present facts towards a demonstration, 

 posites! ^ th^t the calcareous formation has always been uppermost, when 

 land plants grew. Also that in the present era of the earth's 

 history, land relics have succeeded the last calcareous (shell 

 marl) deposite of the last overflowing of the waters, which re- 

 mained a mfhcient time to become quiescent. The last, or 

 Noahean deluge, must be considered as an extraordinary oc- 

 currence ; not produced according to the ordinary course of 

 events. That deluge greatly disturbed the shell=marl deposite, 



