137 
upon the masses, as they appear to have slided in one direc- 
tion, have been rubbed on their faces in one direction, and 
seldom if ever exhibit any signs of repeated action, along 
the same or neighbouring planes, we are forced to adopt as a 
highly probable view of their origin one continuous effort of 
a great force tending to extend and consequently inducing 
tension in, and fracture of, the crust of the globe." Thus 
the oscillation theory appears to be disproved by the appear- 
ance of the planes of cleavage ; and if one force only has 
been at work, and if this force was an expanding force, 
then there must be an uniformity in the position of the 
beds where separated by "a fault" 
The researches of inquirers connected with the peculiarity 
of faults, have shown that there is one almost invariable 
rule in connection with this subject, viz., that the fault 
invariably " hades," or underlies, in the direction of the 
downthrow, that is, if A and B are beds once continuous, 
they will always be found, at a fault, to lie as shown in 
Plate, fig. 1, and never as shown in fig. 2. It is therefore 
impossible for any bed to be brought vertically under another 
part of it, and thus no fault can bring a superior bed under 
one originally below it. 
As a corollary to the above, it follows that the alternate 
change in land and sea must be caused by one continued 
elevating process, acting from the interior of the earth. 
In addition to the evidence afforded by the faults, we have 
the proof of a force acting from below in the intrusion of 
trap rock, &c, which has been actually forced to the surface 
through the openings consequent upon an elevation of the 
upper beds. If, then, we were to attempt to fit together the 
now disjointed strata, we should have to place them upon 
the surface of a sphere of smaller dimensions than is our 
globe, or there would be vast chasms separating the various 
portions. 
K 
