Prof. Milnc — Across Europc and Asia. 
465 
•water. As additional evidence to tliese conclusions, I may add from 
my observations, first, the finding of plant-remains on tlie Obi at 
Kolpashovoe, and, secondly, the fact that the sand and loam wkeu 
examined microscopically show a sharp angularity, characteristic of 
river-sand rather than of those sands whick had been washed and 
rounded in the sea. The samples of sand and loam whick I collected 
came from districts far apart, and therefore may be taken as repre- 
senting the character of an area rather than that of a single spot. 
As eulminating evidence in support of this theory, Mr. Belt seems 
to have found, at Pavlodav, “the ancient bed-rock over whick the 
ice must have moved if it existed, and saw the crusked and shattered 
surface and the fragments pushed up into the overlying silt.” Now 
this is an interesting discovery, because it is so stränge that Mr. 
Belt in his flying visit should have been so fortunate as to have met 
with the remains of glacier action, whereas geologists who have 
been working in these latitudes of Siberia, especially near Irkutsk, 
for the last ten years, where glaciers were more likely to have 
occurred if an ice-sheet ever advanced so far as Mr. Belt supposes, 
have not yet been able to find any signs of ice-action greater than 
those whick are annually produced by the freezing of the river. 
Also, if such a cold period had existed, ice-rafts must have scoured 
the sides of this great lake, and carried off boulders from its shores 
to deposit them on its bed. But ice-markings, such as are produced 
upon every coast invaded by floating-ice, I have not seen nor heard 
of, neither are the boulders to be found, — the country is, in fact, as 
I have pointed out, singularly destitute of stones, and whilst travel- 
ling more than 1500 miles in parts where I had many opportunities 
of seeing sections, I do not remember seeing even a single pebble, 
although I looked for them. Erman noticed large fragments of 
rock imbedded in clay at Samarova, but they are probably not very 
numerous, as I passed through that district witliout observing them. 
Until the markings of old glaciers and coast-ice, togetker with 
erratic boulders and allied phenomena, which would be necessary 
adjuncts to the invasion of a polar ice-cap, and the formation of an 
inland sea, are shown really to exist, or eise have some explanation 
found for their absence, it would, I think, be better to pause before 
accepting the idea of an invading ice-cap. Mr. Campbell, the well- 
known author of “ Frost and Fire,” argues that if polar ice-caps ever 
existed, their markings ought to be found in all meridians alike, and 
that they should approximately be so appears to be a reasonable 
argument. What is more, if we follow out such an argument as 
that of Mr. Croll, who shows us that in bygone times there was a 
glacial period produced in that hemispkere whose winter occurred 
in aphelion indirectly, owing to its haviug been at that time furtker 
from the sun than it is at present, we must remember that the same 
series of induced causes would also produce a general lowering of 
temperature over that half of the world whose crown had been 
capped by ice. This being the case, glaciers and otker forms of ice 
existing in latitudes below the crown of ice ought to have been 
considerably augmented, whilst at other points still more removed 
DECADE II.— TOL. IV. — NO. X. 30 
