75 Essays on Creation and Geology. 76 served history of the globe. He refers | bone, or portion, or small fragment of bone, you are able to construct an animal, and demonstrate to what species, &c. it belongs; and that, not only such as you have had the opportunity of dissecting in the recent state, but such as you confess you never saw nor heard of, till this insolated fragment fell into your hands! How do such own acknowledgment, when you say, that as for those fossil animals, "their races have even become extinct, and have left no memorial of them, except some small fragments which the naturalist can scarcely recognize?"* And when you frankly acknowledge respecting others, that they have treated this subject in such a manner as to have caused what you call the “Science of Geology, to have become ridiculous?'* Now, if such was your opinion of others, you must pardon us, if, in some of your positions, we should have the same opinion of you; for what can be more "ridiculous" than your theory respecting the fossil remains of animals, and the visionary conclusions you draw from them?† to an event not involved in chimerical conjecture, like that of the whole tribe of enthusiastic system-builders; but to an event which was certain, and of which there were ten thousand witnesses. And, if I mistake not, he does as much as say, that that event alone was the primary and grand cause of all, or almost all, the revolutionary ap-vaunting pretensions accord with your pearances of our globe. At all events he assures us, whatever men may urge to the country, that it has never undergone another catastrophe similar to the flood; but that since the deluge, "the present heavens and earth are treasured up and preserved" from that, or any other revolution that would destroy them, "by the same word or power which destroyed the old world," for the purpose of being burnt with fire, at the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 PET. iii.7. This, therefore, being a subject of prophecy, of some peculiar characters which were to arise in the latter days, little did those philosophers who have been so exceedingly industrious in examining the geognostic structure of the earth, and in comparing the anatomy of the animals which at present exist upon it, with the petrified and metamorphosed fossil remains of animals which have been dug from it, sometimes at considerable depths; and from thence drawing conclusions, which in their nature tend to sap the foundation of the Christian system ;little did they imagine, I say, that, by these very arguments, instead of giving Christianity its death-blow, as perhaps some of them intended, they have inadvertently given it the triumph of an additional argument, arising from this very conduct of theirs; namely, that such impious attempts to oppose the Almighty were predicted of them. Thanks to you then, Messrs. HC, W and the whole class of theoretical philosophers, for what you have inadvertently done for the interests of Christianity. And as for you, M. Cuvier, we must single out you, as an adventurer, that has even surpassed your brethren, and say to you, that we could as soon believe the fantastic story of the moon's being a detachment from the tail of a comet, which, happening to come too near the earth, was attracted by it, and so has whirled round it as its humble vassal, ever since; as that your powers are infallibly such as, that from a single Thus, when matters are fairly examined, without doubt it will indeed be found, notwithstanding the assertions of some learned men to the contrary, that there is still every reason to conclude, that in regard to the different tribes of terrestrial animals, though one generation passeth away, yet another generation cometh; so that the species with the earth still abideth. This fact, from the very nature of things, we are led strongly to presume. It was evidently to preserve the animals alive that the earth was provided with the means of animal subsistence, ere yet animals were created to subsist upon it. The formation of animals in pairs, male and female, is an argument to the same effect. And it must ever be maintained, that as there is at the head of the Creation an infinitely wise Intelligence, who works nothing in vain; even so this very thing secures the preservation of his works. A demonstrating instance of his superintending and preserving care, we clearly have in the provision which he made for the preservation of the animals, where, by the deluge of Cavier's Theory on the Earth, p. 17. + Ibid. p. 30. 77 Answer to Query.Anecdotes.-Northern Expedition. Noah, at one stroke he cut off all flesh, both of man and beast, from the earth. As all the different tribes of land animals, from the perfect quadruped to the crawling reptile, were created on this anterior part of the sixth day, we leave it to the naturalist to make the enumeration of them, and to arrange them into systematic order. If any should be disposed to consider the objections above stated, To the idea of the extinction of certain tribes of animals, to be not sufficiently demonstrated; I only beg of such for a little to suspend their judgment, till we come to that part of the subject, where we shall have occasion to examine the nature of the proof on which the assertion, That whole species of animals have become extinct, is founded; when I hope to make it appear, to the satisfaction of every reasonable mind, that the proofs are of such a doubtful, precarious, and uncertain nature, as to render the objections here advanced sufficiently conclusive. 78 posing impudence exclaimed---"Never did I see so obstinate a corpse!" Sir John Maynard. WHEN Sir J. Maynard, an eminent G*****. GENUINE ANECDOTE,-COMMUNICATED THE Hon. Wm. Gray, of Boston, (New NORTHERN EXPEDITION. Impudence of a Venetian Conjurer. A CONJURER of Venice, who boasted that he was able to perform the greatest of miracles, that of bringing the dead to life, had the audacity to exercise this power on a corpse which was passing at the moment when he was haranguing the populace. He re- THE long interval which elapsed, from peatedly summoned the deceased in the time that the Griper and the Hecla, the most urgent manner, to arise and under the command of captain Parry, walk home; but as all he said still pro- sailed into the Polar regions, with a duced no effect, he at length turned to design to discover the north-west pashis auditory, and with the most im-sage, and the earliest accounts which were received from them, had created serious apprehensions for their safety. They have however at length returned; and although no official account has yet been published of their voyage, we learn from the few particulars which have transpired, that the enterprise has been attended with more success than any similar undertaking which preceded it. The general outline which follows, we copy chiefly from the Literary Gazette. From some accounts which had been published, an opinion prevailed, that the mean temperature during twelve months at the North Pole was from ten to twelve degrees above zero. This opinion was, however, found to be erroneous, it being ascertained by our adventurous navigators, that even in the latitude where they wintered, the mean annual temperature was two degrees below zero. In consequence of this intense cold, they endured great hardships; of which it was no small aggravation, that for the last nine months they were upon short allowance of bread, and, during the summer months, of other necessaries; thus adding the cravings of hunger to the pinchings of frost. It is nevertheless pleasing to learn, that amidst these privations and sufferings, the sailors bore their situation not only with resignation and fortitude, but with cheerfulness and good humour. Frequently, when they had returned from a day of fatiguing and unproductive search for game, they wrapped themselves in their blankets, to try by sleep to forget their exhaustion, and that appetite which they durst not satisfy, lest they should, by encroaching on their next day's scanty allowance, or on their general stock, be in the end confined to these dreary regions, starving and without subsistence. Notwithstanding this, never a murmur escaped one of them; but for patience, fortitude, and firmness, they displayed a picture unsurpassed even by the noblest examples of English seamen. The expedition arrived at the entrance of Lancaster Sound, on the 1st of August 1819. On the 7th the ships were in the Regent's Inlet, and there, in about 90% of long. the variation of the needle was, we understand, about 120° west. Stopped by ice, they left the inlet, which is supposed either to extend to Hudson's Bay, or trend 80 along the northern shore of America, and resumed their progress up Barrow's Straits, leaving behind them Croker Bay (the Croker mountains of Captain Ross.) They speedily discovered a group of islands, nine in number, and named them New Georgia Isles. Proceeding onward, they observed, when rather more than half way to the ultimate point at which they arrived, that the variation of the needle was about 120° east: thus it appears that the magnetic meridian must lie between that degree and the degree of 90, where the variation was towards the west. At sea the compass had been quite useless since the 7th of August, and it was only on land that the needle traversed. The greatest dip was above 88°; and our scientific readers, putting these data together, will perhaps agree with us in supposing that the magnetic pole is situated somewhere on the American continent, between the longitudes we have mentioned, and below the latitude of 70°. On the 7th of September, after encountering many dangers, the vessels were anchored in Winter Harbour, Melville Island. In the beginning of November their night began, and it lasted till the beginning of February 1820, when the sun was seen for a few minutes above the horizon. This luminary gradually prolonged the time during which it rose, till in June it became constantly visible, circling round, and making changeless day. On the 1st of August the vessels were released from the ice, nearly as suddenly as they had been overtaken by the winter; and our hardy country men,with the blessing of Providence, were enabled to pursue a homeward, but still perilous course. Their furthest point was beyond 114° west. The ice all around them in the Polar Sea, was above 40 feet thick; and no vessel could by possibility navigate farther in that direction, north, west, or south. It is probable therefore that Regent's Inlet will be more minutely explored by the next expedition, sent into these parts, and that hardly any other attempt will be made to the westward of Liddon's Gulf (so named from the commander of the Griper.) The ships were roofed over during the winter, and the crews did not, as reported, erect huts on shore. Melville's Island was however explored by hunting parties, and Capt. Parry crossed it, and was absent for three weeks to gether. It is reckoned about 150 miles long, and from 30 to 40 broad. It is also supposed that the whole sea, north of the American continent, is broken into islands. It does not appear that natural history has been much enriched thus far by the objects obtained. Only one Bear was seen during their stay at Melville Island. This came smelling up to the Hecla, when Captain Parry directed some of his men to shoot it. Unfortunately, through some misconception of the directions given, they fired in platoon, and only wounded the shaggy monster, which retired growling and bloody. The crews of both vessels immediately gave chase, and continued the pursuit two or three miles, when Bruin found security in crossing some ice, and the sailors were compelled to return, disappointed. The wolves were large, and were heard nightly howling in a most disagreeable manner. The other quadrupeds found, when the summer returned, were the musk-ox, of which several were killed, the deer, the fox, and the mouse; the latter remained through the winter, were numerous, and changed from brown to white. The fowls were chiefly the arctic gull, the glaucus, the ptarmigan (which has been called the partridge,) and a singularly beautiful duck denominated the king-duck. 82 coarse granite was found in round detached pieces in the ravines, and other mineral specimens were picked up. Some of the isles were amazingly precipitously, arising from 3 to 800 feet above the water. From the entrance of Lancaster's Sound to Melville Island, the land gradually declined, till, from towering and pointed rocks, it became gently undulated. The distance between Winter Harbour and Copper-mine River may be above 150 or 200 miles. The whole distance which the expedition went from the mouth of Lancaster's Sound, was about 500 miles. There were traces of old Esquimaux huts on Melville Island. The lowest temperature was 55° below zero. These are the chief facts which we have gathered respecting this truly gratifying expedition, which not only reflects honour on all concerned in it, but on the country. Mr. Barrow's prescience is happily illustrated by its results, which have so completely established all that he predicated. Nor is Captain Parry's eulogy to be lightly spoken: his whole conduct has been admirable; and we imagine that this sketch will greatly increase the public anxiety to see the precise details of a voyage which has opened a new sea to British navigation, and gone far to indicate the very seat of one of the greatest wonders in nature. Upon this sub The owl, in full beauty of feather, seemed to inhabit this inhospitable re-ject, we have heard that Sir H. Davy gion throughout the year. has made some important discoveries by experiments with the galvanic battery at home; and we look with profound curiosity to the further development of the principles of magnetism, electricity, and attraction, to which these circumstances will stimulate and help the scientific world. The tables and other data in Captain Parry'swork, must be of immense consequence. A curious circumstance in natural | history has been mentioned to us. It is stated that one of the she-wolves of the country where the vessels were laid up, formed an intimacy with a ship dog, and almost daily visited him for some time, as if he had belonged to the same species. At last the dog, a setter, belonging to one of the officers of the Griper, followed his wild companion, and was never seen more. Another dog from Hecla also went off, but returned, though with his throat all mangled. There were no fish, and no game of any kind till the summer came, when those birds and animals we have mentioned made their appearance. Grass, saxafragium, and poppies, formed the herbage, in patches and tufts, which looked green and gay at a distance, but was very thinly scattered over the marly surface of the earth. In geology, limestone, sandstone, and slate, were most prominent; It would appear from the hardihood with which our countrymen bore the excessive cold to which they were exposed, that a good deal of exaggeration must belong to the accounts previously given of the sufferings endured in frozen regions. We never read of human beings existing at 55° below zero, at more than 12° below the point at which mercury becomes solid; nor indeed, at any thing like that temperature, without experiencing far greater inconveniences than seem to have attended our navigators. The cold, however, must have been dreadfully in tense, since the utmost care was necessary, to prevent the most fatal consequences. An idea of this may be formed from the fact, that a servant of Captain Sabines, on some alarm of fire being given, ran into the air without covering one of his hands; it was immediately frost-bitten, and he lost three of his fingers. We understand also that another man was deprived of all the extreme joints of one hand. Ulcers on the face were the effects of incautious exposure; but we hear of no such fatal accidents as are common even in Russia. Our brave fellows stood the extremest weather with mufflers up to their noses, and warm caps descending to their eyes and covering their ears; and after a little experience of the climate, they avoided casualties by a very simple means. The person bitten was himself unconscious of the attack; but each "looking in his neighbour's face" as they went, warned his companion when he saw his nose grow white in consequence of the frost. Turning from the wind, and a few minutes' gentle friction with the hand, (or, if very much injured, with snow,) invariably restored the circulation, and the tone of the part; and unless allowed to go too far, no pain whatever was felt. But when seriously affected, the agony of restoring the circulation was dreadful. Beer, wine, and spirits, became ice; the beer was destroyed, but the wine and spirits were tolerably good when thawed. The ship's timbers were of the temperature of the surrounding element, and wherever the iron bolts and fastenings ran through, they became studded with rosettes of transparent ice. The most comfortable sleep was obtained by converting the blankets into large bags drawn at the mouth. Into these the slumberer crept, and some comrade, who kept the watch, closed him in by pulling the strings. We have not many other particulars to state. Captain Parry, when out from the ships for three weeks, went entirely across Melville Island, and beheld the sea on the other side. It is evident that the icy ocean bere contains a mighty archipelago of islands, of which Greenland is probably the greatest. When travelling on land, our gallant countrymen hunted, and rested in tents like those of bucksters at a village fair. They were 84 formed of boarding pikes, &c. and covered with sails and blankets. Sometimes they tried to eat the produce of their guns; but the foxes were very disgusting, and the musk-ox resembled the toughest beef stewed in a musk sauce. During their perhiemation, the Aurora Borealis was but once or twice slightly visible to the voyagers, towards the north. Towards the south it was more vivid; but about the latitude of 60°, seems to be the seat of this phenomenon; and its appearance is not only much more brilliant from Newfoundland, but from the northern Scottish Isles, than from the Arctic Circle. Only one flash of lightning was observed by our sailors. When the fine weather set in, several of the officers employed themselves in attempting to garden. Forcing under mats, as well as growing in the free air, was tried. One succeeded in getting peas to shoot up eight or ten inches; and these green stalks were the only green peas they devoured as vegetables. Radishes got to the second leaf, on the soil of Melville Island. Onions and leeks refused to grow. In the ships, small salad was produced for invalids; happily, the scurvy never got the ascendancy. Other officers were engaged in erecting monuments upon the heights, to commemorate the extraordinary circumstances of the expedition. Huge cairns, by these means, crown the most obvious hills, and remain the rude but proud monuments of British daring, with inscriptions to tell the date, and inclosing bottles, in which the principal events of the voyage are written and sealed up. It was on their way home, when far down Davis's Straits, that Captain Parry fell in with two families of Esquimaux, of whose residence he was apprised by a whaler. He accordingly visited them, and they in turn visited the ships. They betrayed none of the terror which filled the tribe seen by Captain Ross; but accepted the beadsand knives presented to them with inconceivable joy. Indeed their raptures were so excessive, that it was with the utmost difficulty one of them could be made to sit still while his portrait was sketched. He was continually starting and jumping up, shouting augh! augh! and playing off the most violent contortions of joy; which were parti |