Rain and Rivers; or Hutton and Playfair against Lyell and all comers

Preface

. I preface the Second Edition with this letter, which appeared in the Athenæum, February 17, 1866 :— Bain and Rivers. — In the Journal of the Geological Society, published in November last, Messrs. Foster and Topley, of the Government Geological Survey, attribute the denudation of the Weald Hill to ' Eain and Eivers.' More than this, there appears to be a strong tendency to the ' Eain and Eiver ' theory among the young practical geologists of the Government Survey (who have no theories of their own to defend), whether in England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, or India. So far so good. Great A is accomplished ; but there is still a great B to be learnt. The great B is, that man and mammalia, that is, the most perfect creatures, may have existed on the land from the beginning, and before the first strata were formed in the sea, and consequently that Dar winism and the ' development ' theory are myths.

The entire surface of the earth is covered with soil. That soil is rotted subsoil. Owing to atmospheric disintegration, soil is in constant formation over the entire surface of the earth. Owing to the erosion of ' Eain and Eivers,' that soil is in constant movement down the VI

PREFACE.

. hill-side to the valley, and along the valley to the sea. The land, then, is the region of perpetual disintegra tion, denudation and destruction. The sea is the region of perpetual deposit and conservation. And sea strata, when hoisted up by heat in the form of slate, sandstone, limestone, __c, form museums of sea life of an antiquity quite incomprehensible to man. But these museums contain sea life only ; land animals neither live nor die in the sea ; they live and die on the land. And w*here are the museums for the preservation of ancient land life ? There cannot be such a thing. The entire surface of the earth is perpetually vanishing, and with it the museums for the preservation of ancient land life. The most ancient museums of land life are caverns, filled-up lakes, and drift and alluvium — things which, speaking geologically, were formed yesterday, and will be gone to-morrow.

In these modern land museums, however, the remains of man and mammalia are found, and they would be found in more ancient land museums, if such ancient land museums could exist. In the Geological Magazine of January last, page 2, the editor tells us that, ' Foraminifera of the present day form no less than 95 per cent, of the ooze covering the floor of the wide Atlantic ocean.' Suppose our present continents to be destroyed or submerged, — And where the Atlantic rolls wide continents shall bloom ; — that is, suppose that this ' floor of the wide Atlantic ocean,' turned into slate, shall be raised up as the Silurian slates have been : is the geologist of after ages to dub this Foraminifer the Eozoon Atlan ticon, and to inform his pupils that it was almost the sole existent animal of the period of that deposit,

PREFACE.

. VII I instead of the place of that deposit ? That is, that from the beginning of the world up to the 19th century inclusive, Foraminifera were the dominant race on this terraqueous globe ? Yet this is the argument of our present geologists as regards the Eozoon Canadense, the Oldhamia Antiqua, and the Silurian Trilobites. The whole affair is the result of the most childish confusion between space and time, between place and period. That is because in the deposit of a certain place such a life only existed, we set it down that in the period of that deposit that life only existed. Hence such errors as ' The age of reptiles,' ' The diluvial period, ' The boulder period,' The drift period,' &c. Geoege Greenwood, Col. Brookwood Park, Alresford : Feb. 2, 1866. The doctrines advocated in this book were first published by me in the second edition of the « Tree-lifter,' Ft.

HI., 1853. Then in the first edition of ' Bain and Bivers,' 1857. In 1863 Mr. Jukes writes, ' This chapter had been sent to the printers some time before I became acquainted with an excellent little work called " Bain and Bivers," published in 1857 by Colonel George Greenwood, in which the atmospheric origin of all river valleys is advocated in the clearest and most convincing style. I would beg leave to recommend it to the perusal of all geologists.' — School Manual of Geology. The ' Bain and Biver ' theory lays the first

PREFACE.

. foundation stone of Geology, because it shows the origin of stratification ; and it lays the first foun dation stone of Bhysical Geography, because it shows the difference between a hill and a valley. See denundation of the Weald Hill. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

lyell's four contradictory theories of forming valleys. PAGE Lyell has retrograded from sound to unsound doctrines . 1 Lyell's own particular theory of the formation of valleys 2 Origin of alluvial plains ... .3 Valleys formed according to three out of four of Lyell's 4 theories should be bare of soil . . .6 Valleys are rich in soil . . 6 Accumulation of man's subsistence and therefore man's existence greatly dependent on accumulation of soil . 7

Chapter II. Terraces

of glen roy, and lakes of auvergne. Terraces of Glen Roy prove enormous denudation in former times . . . . .11 Why should this denudation have ceased now ? .13 Lakes of Auvergne first filled with alluvium, then cut into hills and valleys by rain and rivers . .16 This is contrary to the submarine, and in favour of the subaerial theory . . . . .21 Why valleys grow wider as they descend . . CONTEXTS. X PAGE Hills and valleys of volcanic district of central France, contrary to submarine and in favour of the subaerial theory . . . . . .25 Comparative eternity of cones, owing to their shape . 27 Cliffs on the Seine not marine . . . .30

Chapter III. Denudation Of The Weald Runs Through Ridges Without Ponding

Tertiary strata originally united the basins of London, Paris, and Hampshire . . . .39 ' The Weald valley ' no valley but a hill . . 39 And its denudation passes to two seas by numerous distinct trunk valleys . . . . .41 These valleys were made by rain and rivers, not by the sea . . . . . . .42 Nor by ' mathematical earthquakes ' . . .43 The sea is eroding the coast of Sussex . . .54 Yet the rivers are filling their estuaries . .55 The gradient of a valley is never permanent in any part . . . . . . .57 How rivers run through ridges of hills even without ponding, as in the Weald . . . .57 The ' Weald valley ' may become ' the oolitic valley ' . 60 Mantell's diluvial valley . . . .61 The axial valley of the Pother . . .61 Romney marsh the Delta of the Pother . . 62 Embankment of new land still goes on . . .65 Only mud goes out to sea . . . .66 The chalk flints which covered the Weald hill . . 67 The Itchen once rose on the Weald hill . . 67 The waterslope of the Ar un is still robbing the waterslope of the Itchen . . . . .67 Romney and Hythe once cinque ports . . .68 They now bear sheep not ships . . .69 CONTENTS. XI

Chapter IV. The St

LAWRENCE WILL RUN THROUGH RIDGES BY PONDING. PAGE Rivers may run over and through ridges of hills by ponding, as in the valley of the St. Lawrence . 73 Lyell contradicts himself on this subject . . 75 The American lakes are being laid dry by rain . 77 This will happen without any apparent change . . 78 Two miniature Weald valleys in the Isle of Wight . 80 Origin of the Chines . ... . .81 Origin of the name of ' the Weald ' . . .82 Answer to Lyell's question, ' At what period was the Weald valley denuded ? ' . . . .83

Chapter V. Lyell On The Val D'arno

If valleys were widened by erosion of river banks, their sides woidd not slope but must be cliffs, with intervening table land . . . . .87 Rivers may cut deep channels, rain makes wide valleys 88 Flat land may be denuded . . . .89 Water may run without a slope of land . . 89 Nature endeavours to prevent denudation by roots, not leaves . . . . . .93 Man by terraces . . . . .93 Eternal circle of changes . . . .94

Chapter VI. Lyell On The Val Del Bove

Lyell's fifth theory forms the Val del Bove by subsidence . . . . . .96 It is formed, like all other valleys, by running water . 97 Why volcanic districts have weak springs and deep dry ravines ...... CONTENTS.

Chapter VII. Lyell On The Valleys Of Calabria

PAGE Lyell's ' Principles ' the work of the age, but it has one spot. ...••• 103 Lyell's sixth theory of the formation of valleys . 104 Lyell's submarine theory does not apply to volcanic islands . . . . • .108 Flood of outburst . . . . .110

Chapter VIII. Travelling Of Sea Beach

Peninsula of Giens . . . . .113 Flints from Torquay to the Land's End . .113 Pebbles of all strata from granite to flint in south coast beaches . . . . . .114 Groins. . . . . . .115 Sorting and sizing of sea beach . . .117 Blown sand ...... US Boulder clay . . . . . .119 Portland a natural groin which catches the Chesil beach 119 Dover built on a beach 2,000 years old . . 120 Submerged forests . . . . .122 Embanked land is denuded .... 124 Northern drift, ancient sea shores . . .126 Origin of the Druid sandstone . . . 127 The Brighton ' Elephant bed ' . . . .129

Chapter IX. Sedgwick's Doctrine That Denudation Is Only On Lines

Aqueous denudation is universal, and is not confined only to the lines of torrents and rivers CONTENTS. XIII PAGE The beds of glaciers suffer denudation . . . 134 Land covered by eternal snow suffers denudation . 135 That ice and snow must increase at the poles is fallacious ...... 137 Mountains while rising may be decreasing in height . 138 Aerial denudation and deposit .... 143

Chapter X. Lyell On New Ravines, And On The Ganges

Formation of new ravines .... 147 ' Simk roads ' the effect of aqueous denudation . 148 Lyell on the Ganges ..... 151 Eain has laid the whole surface of the earth in ridge and furrow . . . . . .154 The source of the valley is always higher up than the source of the river . . . . .155 Rivers outlets of mud as well as water. . .160 Gold alluviums . . . . .160 China clay . . . . . .163

CHAPTER XL ABSURDITY OF THE

' IGNEOUS FUSION ' THEORY. It is only fire which keeps our heads above water . 165 Solids suspended in liquids obey the laws of liquids . 167 Orange shape of the globe owing to the action of centrifugal force on liquids . . . .167 Absurdity of the doctrine of the original incandescent fluidity of the globe . . . .168 Comparative evaporation from surfaces of earth and water . . . . . .171 CONTENTS. XIV

Chapter XII. The Earth And Man Eternal Unless Destroyed By The Will

OF GOD. PAGE Generation of subterranean heat . . .174 The earth eternal, unless destroyed by the will of God 175 The existence of species transitory, and dependent on second causes . . . . .175 Perpetual change of climate and physical conditions over the whole globe . . . .175 The existence of species of animals dependent on the physical conditions of their stations . . . 176 But species are not the result of physical conditions . 176 But are successively created .... 177 Distinct stations have distinct creations . .180 Species are replaced by other species as they die out . 182 The existence of the species man dependent on the will of God alone ..... 182 CHAPTER Xm. FIRE FORMS CONTINENTS, WATER TRANSFORMS THEM. Humboldt forms continents by ' fusion ' . . 185 Hollows formed in the first elevation of land are not valleys ...... 188 Seas and lakes are not valleys . . . .188 Humboldt says the Atlantic is a valley . .188 And formed by running water . . . .189 What a valley is . . . . .191 The basins of London, Paris and Hampshire, are not valleys . . . . . .192

Chapter XIV. Man May Have Existed In The Silurian Period

Fossils are considered as a perfect catalogue of species which have existed ..... 197 This supposes a wash from the whole surface of the earth into the sea . . . . .197 CONTENTS. XV PAGE Possibility that coal may be always forming . . 201, Drift and alluvium or ' deposit on dry land ' . . 202 These modern beds contain extinct animals . . 205 The same floods which form the drift beds stock them with land animals . . . . .206 Mammalia and man might have existed in the Silurian period for what we know .... 209 Denudation and deposit pervade the whole terraqueous globe ...... 209 But no stratum can be universal over the globe . 209 As all strata have land fossils, all strata have been formed from the debris of land. That is, by subaerial, not submarine denudation . . .210 Surface flints the residuum of denudation . .211