i6o TJie American Geologist. September, isss 
setts before he became fully acquainted with the theory of 
Agassiz. He presents the several hypotheses for the drift, but 
rules out glaciers, retains the term "diluvium," and favors the 
idea of waves of translation from the arctic region. He dis- 
plays, however, the openness of mind and keen perception 
which led him virtually to adopt the glacial theory upon its 
first fair presentation, by distinctly saying that no theory pro- 
posed at that time was satisfactory to him. His "Postscript," 
describing glacial phenomena, at the beginning of the volume 
was an afterthought, dated 1841. 
LardnerVanuxem in his Geology of the Third New York 
District, 1842, referred briefly to the drift, compared the ice- 
berg and glacial theories and gave preference to the latter 
in some modified form, suggesting the term "local ice" for 
"glaciers." 
In the same year Ebenezer Emmons published the Geolo- 
gy of the Second New York District. He regarded the ice- 
berg theory as fully established. The rock scorings and finer 
drift he thought were produced by broad shallow currents or 
rivers, at an earlier epoch, while during a later marine sub- 
mergence the floating ice had transported the erratics and 
coarser drift. Glaciers were entirely ruled out. 
W. W. Mather in the Geology of the First New York Dis- 
trict, 1843, gave an exhaustive account of the drift. Regard- 
ing the glacial theory he had the objections noted by Hitch- 
cock. He favored currents of water and floating ice, and 
thought that the greater currents were due to a relatively sud- 
den collapse of the earth's crust, producing accelerated veloc- 
ity of rotation, and hence quickened oceanic currents. 
In the Geology of the Fourth New York District. 1843. 
James Hall held views similar to Emmons. He had not seen 
the writings of Agassiz, and probably very few American geo- 
logists had at that time, but he could not admit glacial agency 
as there was no sufficiently elevated land-mass upon the north. 
C. T. Jackson, in his Geology of New Hampshire, 1844, 
quoted M. de Luc against the glacial theory, even as applied 
to Europe, and regarded its application to America as absurd. 
He attributed the drift to Arctic waters and ice, they "having 
been hurled with great violence over the surface of the north- 
ern hemisphere." 
