I ;
1
62G A D D EN D A .
say, “ T h e ic e lay mucli c lo se r h e ro ; a n d n um e ro u s masses a d h e re d to tlie
b o ttom , u n d e r th e w a te r, wh ic li o b lig e d us to s e arc h a p a s sa g e o u t from
th e s h o re .” F u r th e r o n ( p . 2 2 0 ) th e y say, “ B u t n ow h e re h a d th e th aw
p e n e tr a te d m o re th a n tw o in ch e s b e n e a th th e siirfoce ( o f tlie la n d ) , w h ile
u n d e r w a te r a lo n g th e s h o re , th e b o ttom was s till impenetrably frozen.”
r ii is was o n th e s e co n d o f A u g u s t. I t sh o u ld , h ow ev e r, b e o b s e rv e d ,
th a t th e s e a a lo n g th is p a r t o f th e A m e ric a n c o a st is e x tr em e ly s h a llow .
P a g e 3 21.
I h a v e g iv en my rea so n s fo r b e lie v in g t h a t th e t em p e r a tu r e o f th e
m in e r a l sp rin g s o f C a u q u e n e s , was p e rm a n e n tly c lian g ed b y th e e a r th q
u a k e o f 1822. T h is in fe re n c e is a lto g e th e r fiilse, fo r I fin d th a t
S c hm id tm e y e r, in liis T rav els in C h ile d u r in g th e y e a rs 1820 a n d 1821,
says ( p . 3 1 1 ) t h a t th e tem p e r a tu r e o f th e d iffe re n t sp rin g s was 8 3 ° , 103°,
106°, 112°, 117° a n d 118° o f F a h r e n h e it. N ow M r, C a ld c le u g h says,
a f te r th e e a r th q u a k e o f F e b ru a ry , 1835, th e tem p e r a tu r e fell from 118° to
9 2 °, P r e v io u s ly , th e r e fo r e , to th is sh o ck , i t h a d re g a in e d th e tem p e r a tu
r e w h ic h i t h a d in 1820.
P a g e 3 7 7 ,
W h e n I o ffe red m y v iew s o n th e c a u se o f tlie g r e a t waves, wh ic li follow
e a rth q u a k e s o n c e r ta in co asts, I was n o t aw a re o f tlie p a p e r on tliis su b je c t
b y S ir J am e s H a ll iu th e Edinburgh Eo ya l Transactions, vol. v ii., p . 154.
I c a n n o t, h ow e v e r, p e rc e iv e th e n e c es s ity o f a su d d e n e le v a tio n o f th e b o ttom
, to p ro d u c e tlie o b s e rv e d effects, a s s u p p o s e d b y t h a t d is tin g u ish e d
p h ilo s o p h e r. H a v in g r e a d tlie a b s tr a c t o f a Notice on the Resistance o f
Water, b y M r. R u s s e ll, I p e rc e iv e th e su b je c t is fa r m o re in tr ic a te , th a n
S was a t th e tim e aw a re .
P a g e 3 8 ! .
I h a v e s a id t h a t d u r in g ih e few months s u b s e q u e n tly to th e g r e a t sh o ck
o f F e b ru a ry , 1835, a t C o n c e p c io n , u pw a rd s o f t h r e e liu n d r e d t rem o u rs w e re
fe lt, b u t I s lio u ld h a v e said, w itliin twelve days. (S e e Geograph. Journal,
v o l. v i., p . 3 2 2 . Sketch o f Surveying Voyage o f the Adventure and Beagle,
hy Captain FitzRo y). F rom some a d d itio n a l in fo rm a tio n wh ich I h av e
m e t w ith s in c e fin ish in g tliis c h a p te r , I fin d th e tr a in o f v o lc a n ic p h e n o m
en a , wliich fo llow e d tliis e a rth q u a k e , a ffe c te d a la rg e r a re a th a n th a t
m e n tio n e d (se v e n h u n d r e d b y fo u r h u n d r e d m ile s), a n d a ffe c te d i t in a
m a n n e r w h ic h g ives g r e a t a d d itio n a l w e ig h t to th e a rg um e n t t h a t S o u th
A m e ric a is in t h a t p a r t a m e re c ru s t r e s tin g o v e r a sh e e t o f flu id ro ck ;
a n d lik ew ise to th e g e n e ra liz a tio n t h a t tlie a c tio n o f v o lc a n o e s , a n d th e
I ie rm a n e iit e le v a tio n o f tlie la n d ( a n d c o n s e q u e n tly , a s I b e lie v e , th e e le v
a tio n o f m o u n ta in c h a in s ) a re p a r ts o f th e s am e p h e n om e n o n , a n d d u e to
th e s am e c au se.
P a g e 446.
VVlien I p u t to g e th e r th e few a n d e x c e e d in g ly im p e r fe c t r em a rk s o n th e
su b je c t o f M ia sm ata , I d id n o t k n ow o f D r . F e rg u so n ’s r em a rk a b le d isse rt
a t io n— th e r e s u lt o f b is in v e s tig a tio n s in H o lJa n d , S p a in , P o r tu g a l, a n d
th e W e s t In d ie s— o n th e N a tu r e a n d H is to ry o f M a rsh P o iso n {E d in burgh
Royal Transact., vol. ix ., p . 2 7 3 ) . H e th e r e c le a rly p ro v e s th e fact,
w h ic h h a d s tru c k m e w ith so m u ch su rp rise , n am e ly , th a t tlie d r ie s t d istric
ts , w ilich , a c co rd in g to com m o n n o tio n s , w o u ld b e c o n s id e red as th e
m o s t h e a lth y , a rc o fte n s in g u la rly th e c o n tr a ry . I n his c o n c lu d in g r e m
ark s , D r . F e rg u so n says (p . 2 9 0 ), “ O n e o n ly c o n d itio n , th e n , se em s to
b e in d isp e n s ab le to th e p ro d u c tio n o f th e m a rsh p o iso n , o n a ll su rfa c e s
c a p ab le o f a b s o rp tio n , a n d t h a t is th e paucity o f w a te r, w lie re it h a s p r e v
io u sly o r r e c e n tly abounded. T o th is th e r e is n o e x c e p tio n in c lim a te s
o f h ig h tem p e r a tu r e ; a n d from th e n c e w e m ay ju s t ly in fe r, t h a t th e p o iso
n is p ro d u c e d a t a h ig h ly a d v a n c e d s ta g e o f th e drying p ro cess” A n d ,
from facts p re v io u s ly s ta te d , i t w o u ld a p p e a r t h a t ev en in b a rr e n h illy c o u n l
trie s, th e b a n k s o f m o u n ta in to rr e n ts , w h ic h h a d b e e n o v e rflow ed , s om e tim
e s b e c am e e x tr em e ly in sa lu b rio u s . I n a n o th e r p la c e , D r . F e rg u so n
says, “ I t is from th e s e ( th e d rie d a n d h a lf-d rie d m a rg in s o f l a k e l a n d
m a rsh e s) t h a t tlie p o iso n u n ifo rm ly em a n a te s , a n d n e v e r from th e b o d y
o f th e la k e o r p o o l ; a n d I th in k i t m ay b e fa irly p re sum e d , t h a t w a te r, as
lo n g as It c an p r e s e rv e th e fig u re o f its p a rtic le s a b o v e th e su rfa c e , is in n
o x io u s , a n d t h a t it m u s t first b e a b s o rb e d in to th e so il, a n d d i s lp p e a r
from th e eye, b e fo re i t c a n p ro d u c e a n y m isch iev o u s effects. W h o e v e r
m m a la rio u s c o u n tr ie s w a its fo r th e ev id e n c e o f p u tr e f a c tio n will, in a ll
th e m o st d a n g e ro u s p lac e s, w a it to o lo n g , as e v e ry o n e c a n te s tify who h a s s e en
p e s tile n c e te em fo rth , to th e p a r a ly z a tio n o f a rm i e s , - f r o m th e b a re b a rr e n
san d s o f th e A le n te jo in P o r tu g a l, th e a r id b u r n t p la in s o f E s tr em a d u r a
in S p a in , a n d th e r e c e n tly flo o d e d ta b lo - la n d s o f B a rb a d o e s .” I c a n n o t
fo rb e a r q u o tin g h e r e a r em a rk a b le fa c t, m e n tio n e d b y H um b o ld t, th o u g h
in te r p r e t e d in a d iffe re n t m a n n e r b y t h a t illu s tr io u s tra v e lle r. S p e a k in g
o f th o in te rm i tt e n t fev ers wh ich a r e so c om m o n n e a r th e g r e a t c a ta r a c ts o r
vandales, o f th e O r in o k o . h e says {Pers. E a r ., vol. v „ p . 17) th e cau’ses
“ a re v io le n t h e a ts , jo in e d w ith th e e x c es s iv e h um id ity o f t h e a ir, b a d n u trim
e n t, an d , i f w e m ay b e lie v e th e n a tiv e s ( a s w e ll as th e m is s io n a rie s ),
th e p e s tile n t e x h a la tio n s th a t a rise from th e b a re ro c k s o f th o raudales”
F u r th e r o n (p. 8 5 ), h e says, “ m an y e x am p le s a r e a d d u c e d o f p e rso n s , w h o