a HDon tbl\> Journal of IHatural Science* 
Yol. I, No. 4. 
MALTA, SEPTEMBER 1st. 1891. 
f 4/— Per annum 
\ By post 5/- 
CONTENTS. 
' — ~ — Page 
1 Theories of Mountain Formation— T. Mellarcl Reacle 
C.E., F.G.S., etc 15 
2 Observations on the Geology of the Maltese Islands ' 
—John H. Cooke 18 
3 Cyprus, (cont.)— Lt. Gen. R. Biddulph, G.C.M.G., C.B. 51 
4 Rare occurrence of Ophrs Apifera 53 
5 Science Gossip: — Acclimatation of the reindeer in 
Bavaria — British trade with Northern Africa— 
The Balearic Isles — The potatoe disease — “La 
Neptunia”— Discovery of a prehistoric burial 
ground near Palermo— Temperature of the Me- 
diterranean, etc. etc 53 
C) The Eruption of Vesuvius 1891— Dr. IT. J. Johnston- 
Lavis, M.D., M.R.C.S., B.Sc., F.G.S., etc. .. .54 
7 Notes on the recent foraminifera of Malta— Messrs 
Earland & J. H- Cooke . . 57 
8 AT of the Month : — Crova on diffused light — The 
Geological Society of Germany- international 
Geographical Congress — Erica Meet if err av ea, etc. 59 
9 Books &c. received 00 
10 Exchange Column 00 
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4 
Theories of Mountain Formation. 
By T. Mellard Reade, C.E.,F.G.S.,F.R.I.B.A. 
Part I. * 
THE origin of the surface features of the earth 
has always been a subject of interest to observing 
and thinking men. Some of these features — such 
as, for instance, deltas — were from a very early age 
recognised as the work of agents still in force. The 
delta of the Nile, it was obvious, even to Greek 
philosophers unaccustomed to geological reasoning, 
had been laid down by the river itself. Rounded 
pebbles found in the rocks, it was correctly infer- 
red, had been so shaped by moving water. 
Such geological inferences as these have been 
probably, to a greater or less extent, common to 
all historic time. 
It is also a peculiarity of the human mind that 
it must frame hypotheses to account for what it 
sees. The first formed, of course, are little better 
than , hrewd guesses at truth; but it would be dif- 
ficult to point to any existing theory which had 
not been to some extent guessed in the hoary past; 
and thus limited we may correctly say “there is 
nothing new under the sun. 5 ' 
To those who understand the processes of scienti 
fic discovery it is hardly necessary to point out that 
there is no such thing as absolute truth. Expla- 
nations of phenomena must take their shape and 
color from the state of science at the time, and, 
while no explanation is absolutely true, on the 
other hand few are absolutely false. As a rule, 
there is some small kernel of truth to be found in 
every attempt made by a reasonable man to explain 
to himself what he sees. 
It is only within the last hundred years that 
geology has been systematically studied, so that if 
theories relating to the formation of the surface 
features of the earth have been crude and undeve- 
* These articles appeared in their original form 
in u Research" . 
They have since been revised and added to by the 
author for the columns of the Med: Wat; 
