parts so sterile, that not even these can exist in them. The caravans, however, usually follow a track, which is known, and where grass and water may be found at certain seasons of the year. There are several tracks, or, as they are called, "trails," that cross from the frontier settlements of the United States to those of New Mexico. Between one and another of them, however, stretch vast regions of desert country-entirely unexplor ed and unknown--and many fertile spots exists, that have never been trodden by the foot of man. Such, then, my young friend, is a rough sketch of some of the more prominent features of the Great American Desert. [Reid's English Family Robinson. For the Miscellany. MY LITTLE STAR. BY J. G. SCOTT. How delicate yon twinkling star of even If it be left to mortal man to tell The place in which his longing soul shall dwell, To that lone star how swiftly would I fly Thro' heaven's expanse I ne'er would wish to roam, Away from toil, and sin, and strife, and war, Far, far, from friends and lov'd ones, I would be With boundless admiration to my soul, In silent grandeur; and adore to see But oh when God in dreadful wrath shall come, 'Tis true-then I will dream of bliss no more; For the Miscellany SHE WAS A LITTLE FAIRY THING. BY M. H. RICE. She was a little fairy thing, Her eye was softly blue; She was a little fairy thing, But ah! no sister played No brother marked her footsteps when Yet, often from her favorite flower, On heaven's ethereal blue. GEOLOGY. BY DR. BAIRD. GEOLOGY. Ir was at the beginning of the XVIth certury that geological facts first awakened attention and inquiry; and within the next two hundred years they had accumulated to a considerable number, especially in Italy, and had given rise to much speculation. During the latter part of the XVIIth century, a variety of theories had been proposed for the explanation of such facts as were then known-theories which serve at present only to indicate to what an extent the wonder and curiosity of inquiries had been 261 having extended correct general views of the distinctions of classification of strata. In 1793, an Englishman, William Smith, achieved a great advance in geology by his classification of the strata of some portions of his country; and in 1815 he gave to the world a survey of England, in which the strata were discriminated by their organic remains. During this period many of the most ingenious minds were devoting themselves to similar researches. In 1807, the formation of the London Geological Society took place -an association which has materially and most honorably connected its name with the subsequent progress of Geology in England In the mean time the study of fossils was awakened. Buffon had proposed a theory pursued with great genius and enthusiasm which found advocates till the close of that century. The two Bertrands had originated others in Switzerland and France; and several theorizers in England and Germany had obtained similar distinction by the same means. These theories were of a character in various countries. Lamarck and Defrance determined the fossil shells in the neighborhood of Paris, and in 1811, the memorable work of Cuvier and Brogniart, "On the Environs of Paris," constituted an epoch in geological science. Cuvier's discovery of many species of vertebrated animals in the basin of Paris, some of them of immense size and of the most extraordinary charac the most visionary and capricious. The first regarded our earth as having been struck off from the sun, while in a heated state, by a comet-another, as having been originally ter, stimulated naturalists throughout Eua mass of ice—and upon each of them the rope to more extended examinations of the few established facts were explained, by calling in any agencies which might seem ade quate to such effects. tertiary strata, from which they have since reaped an ample harvest of most important facts. The restoration of more than forty species of extinct quadrupeds, principally of the pachydermata, attests the extent and the success of his labors. Other observers, however, as Saussure in the Alps, and Pallas in Siberia, confined themselves to the collection of facts, and accumulated materials which have proved of Another most remarkable group of anigreat value to their successors. At the close mals,-the Saurian,--was brought to light of that century, the interest of the scientific principally by the geologists of England.-world was, concentrated upon two theories In 1816, Sir Everard Home ascertained that, which long divided the suffrages of the learn- among the fossil remains of England, were ed. Werner, a Professor in Saxony, con- some which it was impossible to arrange tended that all rocks were deposited by wa. with any known class of animals. The aniter, and this was known as the Neptunian mal thus referred to was named the Ichthyotheory; while in Scotland, Hutton taught saurus, as intermediate between fishes and that the unstratified rocks had been deposited lizards. Another still more nearly approachin a melted state, and his theory was designa-ing the lizard, was discovered by Conybeare, ted accordingly as the Plutonian. The lat- in 1821, and named Plesiosaurus. These ter of these views has, with important mowere marine genera. At a somewhat later difications, been adopted by most subsequent day, Dr. Buckland designated another, and geologists; yet to Werner is due the credit of a terrestrial genus, as the Megalosaurus, and, finally, Dr. Mantell brought to light the most gigantic of them all--the Iguanodon-a herbivorous reptile of nearly 100 feet in length. There are now at least eighty species of these fossil reptiles known, many of them of inmense size and some of extraordinary character. They have been divided by Dr. Buckland into four groups,-the Marine, Terrestrial, Amphibious, and Flying Reptiles. The depth of British strata investigated and found to be fossiliferous, was estimated, in 1840, at six and a half miles. Prof. Rogers, of Pennsylvania, estimated the American strata below the coal as of much greater thickness than the European. Many important questions, which have arisen during the course of these investigations, have been successfully solved. Among these no single one was attended with greater difficulty than that of determining the equivalence of the strata of different regions, a work which required the most careful examination of the fossil remains of distant formations. The identity of the compact marbles of Italy and Greece, with the loose limestones which form the Oolitic series of England, was pointed out by Dr. Buckland, The curiosity and wonder excited by such a series of discoveries, greatly stimulated the ardor of inquirers, and a great number of observers now pursued investigations, which had proved so fruitful of novel and brilliant results. Many of the most acute and philosophical minds of the age have been, and still are, engaged in efforts to solve the problems which geology offers to our examination. The investigations of Agassiz, upon the fos-in 1820, and his view has since been fully sil fish, published in two separate works in Neuchatel in 1834, and in England, in 1835, have resulted in a new and admirable classification of that branch of physical science. More recently the observations of the same gentleman upon the glaciers of Switzerland and the erratic blocks, have opened a new field of investigation in the ice period. confirmed. The determination of hundreds of shells by most skilful conchologists, was requisite to decide the position of some of the calcareous beds of Germany, as compared with the formations of Great Britain. More recently, however, this effort has been so far extended that the general system of the rocks is now universally agreed upon, and is understood over the whole of Europe, and of castern North America. In more distant countries, however, the equivalence of strata with those already known, is more doubtful, though investigation is rapidly en The fossil plants were first fully investigated by Brogniart. The number of species which he had ascertained, 1836, amounted to 527, which have since increased to about two thousand. As a large proportion of plants would disappear during the process of fossil-larging our knowledge in every direction.— ization, fungi, mosses, &c., the aggregate, it is supposed, may have approached the existing number. One-half of the whole are contained in the caroniferous series, before the great herbivorous quadrupeds existed. The earliest well-characterized plants hitherto ascertained are coniferous trees at the base of the old red sandstone. Their discovery is due to the protracted investigations of Hugh Miller, in a field, whose fruitfulness he had the merit of discovering. Humboldt has labored to extend the doctrine of geological equivalence, as shown in the rocks of Europe, to those of the Andes. The equivalence of the strata of NewYork. with those of Europe and northern Asia, was determined, in 1846, by M. de Verneuil, who determined the fact that no country offers so complete and uninterrupted a development of the Devonian system as this State. Geological science has been greatly indebted for its progress to the accurate surveys which various governments have order The species of fossil fish number about two thousand. They have grown to this number under the hand of Prof. Agassiz.-ed. The surveys of the European coast, unThe number which Cuvier had distinguished amounted to only ninety-two. dertaken for military and commercial purposes, have furnished opportunity of geolo ENGLISH LUXURIOUSNESS. gical observation also. Extended geological investigations have been accomplished of all the more important European countries. American geology has been greatly indebted to the same aid. The several States have almost universally instituted surveys for economical as well as scientific purposes. Among the most distinguished of these, are those of Massachusetts, which were made, in 1833, by Prof. Hitchcock, and New-York, which were undertaken, in 1836, by several gentlemen of seientific distinction, and contemplated a general survey of the Natural History of the State, The United States Governinent has had geological surveys made of some extended regions of the interior of the country; and the Expedition, under Captain Wilkes, has made a most valuable contribution to science in this branch, in the work of Professor Dana. There are in every department of geology questions of great interest awaiting their solution. M. de Beaumont has suggested a theory of the contemporaneous elevation of parallel mountain-chains, which has attracted much attention. More recently, a different view has been taken, which attributes them to the contraction of the earth's crust. Among the more interesting points which are regarded as settled, may be mentioned the very recent appearance of man upon the globe, and the termination of creation with the formation of man, as no single species can be shown to have originated since this modern period. 263 raising the Scandinavian peninsula. Facts at present are not sufficiently numerous to authorize any confident conclusion. ENGLISH LUXURIOUSNESS. FEW of us whose lives are passed in republican simplicity, have any definite idea of the amount of wealth and splendor that surrounds many of the English nobles in their princely residences. An intelligent American, writing from England, describes some of these things: "The Earl of Spencer's homestead, about sixty miles from London, comprises ten thousand acres, tastefully divided into parks, meadows, pastures, woods, and gardens.— His library, called the finest private library in the world, containing fifty thousand volumes. Extensive and elegant stables, greenhouses and conservatories, game-keepers' houses without number-go to complete the establishment. Hundreds of sheep and cattle graze in the parks about the house. The Duke of Richmond's home farm at Goodward, sixty miles from London, consists of twenty-three thousand acres, or over thirty-five square miles. And this is in crowded England, which has a population of 16,000,000, and an area of only 50,000 square, or just 32.000,000 of acres, giving were the land divided, but two acres to each inhabitant. The residence of the Duke is a complete palace. One extensive hall is covered with yellow silk and pictures in the The highest authorities agree in denying richest and most costly tapestry. The dishthe possibility of the transmutation of lower es and plates upon the table are all of porinto higher forms of organic life, and gene-celain, silver and gold. Twenty-five raco rally in affirming the diffusion of each species from a single point through its whole range. Two theories at present divide the geological world, in respect to the method and the agencies by which the earth's changes have been produced. One view attributes the phenomena to the violent action of causes not now equally influential; the other, represented by Lyell, to the long-continued action of causes such as those which are now horses stand in the stable, each being consigned to the care of a special groom. A grotto near the house, the ladies spent six years in adorning. An aviary is supplied with every variety of rare and beautiful birds. Large herds of cattle, sheep and deer, are spread over the immense lawns. The Duke of Devonhire's palace at Chatsworth, is said to excel in magnificence, any ther in the kingdom. The income of the Duke is one million dollars per year, and |