___________

Essay on the

THEORY OF THE EARTH

BY

Baron G. Cuvier
Perpetual Secretary of the French Institute, Professor and
Administrator of the Museum of Natural History


WITH GEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS

by

PROFESSOR JAMESON


Fifth Edition

William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and

T. Cadell, Strand, London.

1827
 spine


This electronic edition prepared by Dr. David C. Bossard
from original documents in the personal library of Dr. Ted Davis.

550+24 pages

August, 2007.

Copyright © 2007 by David C. Bossard.

Autograph

Titlepage

Superscription

Prefaces   v  vi  vii  viii  ix  x  xi  xii  xiii  xiv  xv  xvi  xvii  xviii

CONTENTS.


PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS  1   001  002  003

Plan of the Essay  4   004  005  006

First Appearance of the Earth  6   006

First Proofs of Revolutions on the Surface of the Globe  6   006  007  008  009  010

Proofs that such Revolutions have been numerous  10   010  011  012  013  014

Proofs that these Revolutions have been sudden  14   014  015  016

Proofs of the Occurrence of Revolutions before the Existence of Living Beings  16  016  017  018  019  020  021  022  023

Examination of the Causes which act at present on the Surface of the Globe  23  023  024  025

Of Slips, or Falling Down of the Materials of Mountains  25   025  026

Of Alluvial Formations  26   026  027  028

Of the Formation of Downs  28   028  029

Of the Formation of Cliffs, or Steep Shores  29   029  030

Depositions formed in Water  30   030

Of Stalactites  31  031  032

Of Lithophytes  32   032

Of incrustations  32   032  033

Of Volcanoes  34   034  035  036

Constant Astronomical Causes  36   036  037  038

Older Systems of Geologists  38   038  039  040  041

More Recent Systems  41   041  042  043  044

Diversities of all the Systems  44   044  045  046

Causes of these Differences  46   046

Nature and Condition of the Problem  46  046  047  048  049

Progress of Mineral Geology  49   049  050  051

Importance of Fossil Remains in Geology  51   051  052  053

High importance of the Fossil Bones of Quadrupeds  53   053  054  055  056

Small probability of discovering new Species of large Quadrupeds  56   056  057  058  059  060  061  062  063  064  065  066  067  068  069

Inquiry respecting the Fabulous Animals of the Ancients  69   069  070  071  072  073  074  075  076  077  078  079  080  081  082

Difficulty of determining the Fossil Bones of Quadrupeds  82   082  083

Principle by which this determination is effected  83   083  084  085  086  087  088  089  090  091  092  093  094

View of the general Results of these Researches  94  094  095

Relations of the Species of Fossil Animals, with the Strata in which they are found  95  095  096  097  098  099  100  101  102

Proofs that the extinct Species of Quadrupeds are not Varieties of the presently existing Species  102  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114

Proofs that there are no Fossil Human Bones  114   114  115  116  117  118  119  120  121

Physical Proofs of the Newness of the present Continents  121   121  122  123

Additions of Land by the action of Rivers  123   123  124  125  126  127  128  129  130  131  132  133

Progress of Downs  133   133  134  135

Peat-mosses and Slips  135   135  136  137

The History of Nations confirms the Newness of the Continents  137   137  138  139  140  141  142  143  144  145  146  147  148  149

The very remote Antiquity attributed to certain Nations is not supported by History  149   149  150  151  152  153  154  155  156  157  158  159  160  161  162  163  164  165  166  167  168  169  170  171  172  173  174  175  176  177  178  179  180  181  182  183  184  185  186  187  188  189  190  191  192  193  194  195  196  197  198  199  200  201

The Astronomical Monuments left by the Ancients do not bear the excessively remote Dates which have been attributed to them  201   201  202  203  204  205  206  207  208  209  210  211  212

Table of the Extent of the Zodaical Constellations, as they are designed upon our Globes, and of the Times required by the Colures to traverse them   212   212  213  214  215  216

Construction and Use of the Table  216   216  217  218  219  220  221  222  223  224  225  226  227  228  229  230

The Zodiac is far from bearing in itself a certain and excessively remote date  230   230  231  232  233  234  235  236  237  238

Exaggerations relative to the Antiquity of certain Mining Operations  238   238  239

General Conclusion relative to the Period of the last Revolution  239   239  240

Further Researches to be made in Geology  240   240  241  242  243

Recapitulation of the Observations upon the Succession of the Tertiary Formations  243   243  244  245  246  247  248  249

Table of Geological Formations in the Order of their Superposition; by M. A. de Humboldt  249   249  250  251  252  253

Enumeration of the Fossil Animals recognized by the Author  253   253  254  255  256  257  258  259  260  261  262  263  264  265  266  267  268  269  270  271  272  273  274  275  276  277  278  279  280  281  282  283  284  285  286  287  288  289  290  291  292  293  294  295  296  297  298
Ichthyosaurus  255

Plesiosaurus  256

Crocodile  258

Megalosaurus  259

Pterodactylus  261

Iguanodon  263

Mosasaurus  264

Dolphin  264

Lamantin  265

Morse  265

Palaeotherium  266

Lophiodon  268

Anoplotherium  270

Antliracotheria  272

Cheropotamus  272

Adapis  273

Vespertilio  274

Ziphius  280

Mammoth  280

Mastodon  281

Hippopotamus  283

Rhinoceros  283

Elasmotherium  285

Horse  288

Fossil Elk  286

Megatherium  289

Megalonyx  290

Bear  291

Man  294
APPENDIX

ON the Birds to which the name of Ibis was given by the Ancient Egyptians  299   299  300  301  302  303  304  305  306  307  308  309  310  311  312  313  314  315  316  317  318  319  320  321  322  323  324  325  326  327  328  329  330  331  332



GEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
BY PROFESSOR JAMESON.


On the Subsidence of Strata  333   333

Deluge  334  334

Formation of Primitive Mountains  335   335  336  337  338  339  340  341  342  343

On the Distribution of Boulder-Stones in Scotland, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and America  344   344  345  346  347  348  349  350  351  352  353

On the Alluvial Land of the Danish Islands in the Baltic and on the Coast of Sleswigh  354  354  355  356  357  358  359  360  361  362  363  364  365  366  367

On the Sand-Flood  368   368  369  370  371  372  373  374  375  376  377
Sand-Flood in Morayshire 369

Sand-Flood in the Hebrides, &c  372

Moving Sands of the African Deserts  375

Action of the Sea upon Coasts  378  378

On the Growth of Coral Islands  379   379  380  381  382  383  384  385  386  387  388  389  390  391  392  393  394  395  396  397

On the Level of the Baltic  398   398  399  400  401  402  403  404  405

Fossil Remains of the Human Species  406   406  407  408  409

Account of the displacement of that part of the Coast of the Adriatic which is occupied by the Mouths of the Po  410  410  411  412  413  414  415  416

On the Universal Deluge  417   417  418  419  420  421  422  423  424  425  426  427  428  429  430  431  432  433  434  435  436

On the action of Running Waters  437   437  438  439  440  441  442  443  444  445  446  447  448  449  450  451  452

Connection of Geology with Agriculture and Planting  453   453  454  455  456  457  458  459  460  461  462  463  464  465  466  467  468  469  470  471  472  473  474  475  476  477  478  479  480  481  482  483  484  485

Account of the Fossil Elk of Ireland  486   486  487  488  489  490  491  492  493  494  495  496  497  498  499  500  501  502  503  504  505  506  507

Account of the Living Species of Elephant, and of the Extinct Species of Elephant or Mammoth  508   508  509  510  511  512  513  514  515

Account of the Caves in which Bones of Carnivorous Animals occur in great quantities  516   516  517  518  519  520  521  522  523  524  525  526  527  528  529  530  531  532  533  534  535  536  537  538  539

Cave containing Bones at Adelsberg, in Carniola  540  540  541  542  543  544  545  546

Tabular View of the Genera of Fossil Mammifera, Cetacea, Aves, Reptilia, and insecta, -- with their Geognostical Number and Distribution  547  547  548  549

Tabular View of the Classes, Orders, or Families of Animals occurring in a Living or Fossil State, with their Geognostical Distribution  550   550
LIST OF PLATES.
Click on image for plate at 100 ppi.

bone-caves
Frontispiece
Plate at 300 ppi.

Vertical section of the Bone-Caves of Gaylenreuth, in Franconia.
 


Formations around Paris
Plate I
Plate at 300 ppi.

Relative position of the Tertiary Mineral Formations around Paris.



Formations around Paris
Plate II
Plate at 300 ppi.

Illustrative of the Succession of the Secondary Formations, and of the Distribution of Petrifactions.



Formations around Paris
Plate IIa
Plate at 300 ppi.

Extraordinary Fossil Animal named Pterodactylus longirostrus, found near Aichstedt, in Germany



Formations around Paris
Plate III
Plate at 300 ppi.

Figure of an Ibis in a Temple in Upper Egypt.



Formations around Paris
Plate IV
Plate at 300 ppi.

Skeleton of an Ibis from a Mummy found at Thebes.



Formations around Paris
PlateV
Plate at 300 ppi.

Numenius Ibis, supposed true Ibis of the Egyptians.



Formations around Paris
Plate VI
Plate at 300 ppi.

Fossil Human Skeleton found in Guadaloupe.



Formations around Paris
Plate VII
Plate at 300 ppi.

Cervus megaceros, Irish Elk in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society.



Formations around Paris
Plate VIII
Plate at 300 ppi.

Fig. 1. Head and Horn of the Fossil Irish Elk. It represents a larger, view of the head, in which the different markings are delineated, and the expansion of the horns shown in a front view. In this is also seen the peculiar forked appearance of the sur-antler.

Fig. 2. The portion of cast horn mentioned at p. 501, having the smooth, convex surface at the root.

Fig. 3. An internal and external view of the perforated rib, described in p. 504.




Formations around Paris
Plate IX
Plate at 300 ppi.

Cervus megaceros, Irish or Isle of Man Elk in the Royal Museum of the University of Edinburgh.