首页 >出版文学> THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE>第43章
  Thesefactsareofhighgeologicalinterestwithrespecttotheclimateofthenorthernhemisphereattheperiodwhenbouldersweretransported。
  Iwillnotheredetailhowsimplythetheoryoficebergsbeingchargedwithfragmentsofrock,explaintheoriginandpositionofthegiganticbouldersofeasternTierradelFuego,onthehighplainofSantaCruz,andontheislandofChiloe。InTierradelFuego,thegreaternumberofboulderslieonthelinesofoldsea-channels,nowconvertedintodryvalleysbytheelevationoftheland。Theyareassociatedwithagreatunstratifiedformationofmudandsand,containingroundedandangularfragmentsofallsizes,whichhasoriginated[15]intherepeatedploughingupofthesea-bottombythestrandingoficebergs,andbythemattertransportedonthem。Fewgeologistsnowdoubtthatthoseerraticboulderswhichlienearloftymountainshavebeenpushedforwardbytheglaciersthemselves,andthatthosedistantfrommountains,andembeddedinsubaqueousdeposits,havebeenconveyedthithereitheronicebergsorfrozenincoast-ice。Theconnectionbetweenthetransportalofbouldersandthepresenceoficeinsomeform,isstrikinglyshownbytheirgeographicaldistributionovertheearth。InSouthAmericatheyarenotfoundfurtherthan48degs。oflatitude,measuredfromthesouthernpole;inNorthAmericaitappearsthatthelimitoftheirtransportalextendsto53。5degs。fromthenorthernpole;butinEuropetonotmorethan40degs。oflatitude,measuredfromthesamepoint。Ontheotherhand,intheintertropicalpartsofAmerica,Asia,andAfrica,theyhaveneverbeenobserved;norattheCapeofGoodHope,norinAustralia。[16]
  OntheClimateandProductionsoftheAntarcticIslands——ConsideringtheranknessofthevegetationinTierradelFuego,andonthecoastnorthwardofit,theconditionoftheislandssouthandsouth-westofAmericaistrulysurprising。SandwichLand,inthelatitudeofthenorthpartofScotland,wasfoundbyCook,duringthehottestmonthoftheyear,“coveredmanyfathomsthickwitheverlastingsnow;“andthereseemstobescarcelyanyvegetation。Georgia,anisland96mileslongand10broad,inthelatitudeofYorkshire,“intheveryheightofsummer,isinamannerwhollycoveredwithfrozensnow。”Itcanboastonlyofmoss,sometuftsofgrass,andwildburnet;ithasonlyoneland-birdAnthuscorrendera,yetIceland,whichis10degs。nearerthepole,has,accordingtoMackenzie,fifteenland-birds。TheSouthShetlandIslands,inthesamelatitudeasthesouthernhalfofNorway,possessonlysomelichens,moss,andalittlegrass;andLieut。Kendall[17]foundthebay,inwhichhewasatanchor,beginningtofreezeataperiodcorrespondingwithour8thofSeptember。Thesoilhereconsistsoficeandvolcanicashesinterstratified;
  andatalittledepthbeneaththesurfaceitmustremainperpetuallycongealed,forLieut。Kendallfoundthebodyofaforeignsailorwhichhadlongbeenburied,withthefleshandallthefeaturesperfectlypreserved。Itisasingularfact,thatonthetwogreatcontinentsinthenorthernhemispherebutnotinthebrokenlandofEuropebetweenthem,wehavethezoneofperpetuallyfrozenundersoilinalowlatitude——namely,in56degs。
  inNorthAmericaatthedepthofthreefeet,[18]andin62degs。inSiberiaatthedepthoftwelvetofifteenfeet——astheresultofadirectlyoppositeconditionofthingstothoseofthesouthernhemisphere。Onthenortherncontinents,thewinterisrenderedexcessivelycoldbytheradiationfromalargeareaoflandintoaclearsky,norisitmoderatedbythewarmth-bringingcurrentsofthesea;theshortsummer,ontheotherhand,ishot。IntheSouthernOceanthewinterisnotsoexcessivelycold,butthesummerisfarlesshot,forthecloudedskyseldomallowsthesuntowarmtheocean,itselfabadabsorbentofheat:andhencethemeantemperatureoftheyear,whichregulatesthezoneofperpetuallycongealedunder-soil,islow。Itisevidentthatarankvegetation,whichdoesnotsomuchrequireheatasitdoesprotectionfromintensecold,wouldapproachmuchnearertothiszoneofperpetualcongelationundertheequableclimateofthesouthernhemisphere,thanundertheextremeclimateofthenortherncontinents。
  Thecaseofthesailor’sbodyperfectlypreservedintheicysoiloftheSouthShetlandIslandslat。62to63degs。S。,inaratherlowerlatitudethanthatlat。64degs。N。underwhichPallasfoundthefrozenrhinocerosinSiberia,isveryinteresting。Althoughitisafallacy,asIhaveendeavouredtoshowinaformerchapter,tosupposethatthelargerquadrupedsrequirealuxuriantvegetationfortheirsupport,neverthelessitisimportanttofindintheSouthShetlandIslandsafrozenunder-soilwithin360milesoftheforest-cladislandsnearCapeHorn,where,asfarasthe_bulk_ofvegetationisconcerned,anynumberofgreatquadrupedsmightbesupported。TheperfectpreservationofthecarcassesoftheSiberianelephantsandrhinocerosesiscertainlyoneofthemostwonderfulfactsingeology;butindependentlyoftheimagineddifficultyofsupplyingthemwithfoodfromtheadjoiningcountries,thewholecaseisnot,Ithink,soperplexingasithasgenerallybeenconsidered。TheplainsofSiberia,likethoseofthePampas,appeartohavebeenformedunderthesea,intowhichriversbroughtdownthebodiesofmanyanimals;ofthegreaternumberofthese,onlytheskeletonshavebeenpreserved,butofotherstheperfectcarcass。Now,itisknownthatintheshallowseaontheArcticcoastofAmericathebottomfreezes,[19]anddoesnotthawinspringsosoonasthesurfaceoftheland,moreoveratgreaterdepths,wherethebottomoftheseadoesnotfreezethemudafewfeetbeneaththetoplayermightremaineveninsummerbelow32degs。,asinthecaseonthelandwiththesoilatthedepthofafewfeet。Atstillgreaterdepths,thetemperatureofthemudandwaterwouldprobablynotbelowenoughtopreservetheflesh;andhence,carcassesdriftedbeyondtheshallowpartsnearanArcticcoast,wouldhaveonlytheirskeletonspreserved:
  nowintheextremenorthernpartsofSiberiabonesareinfinitelynumerous,sothatevenisletsaresaidtobealmostcomposedofthem;[20]andthoseisletslienolessthantendegreesoflatitudenorthoftheplacewherePallasfoundthefrozenrhinoceros。Ontheotherhand,acarcasswashedbyafloodintoashallowpartoftheArcticSea,wouldbepreservedforanindefiniteperiod,ifitweresoonafterwardscoveredwithmudsufficientlythicktopreventtheheatofthesummer-waterpenetratingtoit;andif,whenthesea-bottomwasupraisedintoland,thecoveringwassufficientlythicktopreventtheheatofthesummerairandsunthawingandcorruptingit。
  Recapitulation——Iwillrecapitulatetheprincipalfactswithregardtotheclimate,ice-action,andorganicproductionsofthesouthernhemisphere,transposingtheplacesinimaginationtoEurope,withwhichwearesomuchbetteracquainted。Then,nearLisbon,thecommonestsea-shells,namely,threespeciesofOliva,aVoluta,andaTerebra,wouldhaveatropicalcharacter。InthesouthernprovincesofFrance,magnificentforests,intwinedbyarborescentgrassesandwiththetreesloadedwithparasiticalplants,wouldhidethefaceoftheland。ThepumaandthejaguarwouldhauntthePyrenees。InthelatitudeofMontBlanc,butonanislandasfarwestwardasCentralNorthAmerica,tree-fernsandparasiticalOrchideaewouldthriveamidstthethickwoods。EvenasfarnorthascentralDenmark,humming-birdswouldbeseenflutteringaboutdelicateflowers,andparrotsfeedingamidsttheevergreenwoods;andintheseathere,weshouldhaveaVoluta,andalltheshellsoflargesizeandvigorousgrowth。Nevertheless,onsomeislandsonly360milesnorthwardofournewCapeHorninDenmark,acarcassburiedinthesoilorifwashedintoashallowsea,andcoveredupwithmudwouldbepreservedperpetuallyfrozen。Ifsomeboldnavigatorattemptedtopenetratenorthwardoftheseislands,hewouldrunathousanddangersamidstgiganticicebergs,onsomeofwhichhewouldseegreatblocksofrockbornefarawayfromtheiroriginalsite。AnotherislandoflargesizeinthelatitudeofsouthernScotland,buttwiceasfartothewest,wouldbe“almostwhollycoveredwitheverlastingsnow。”andwouldhaveeachbayterminatedbyice-cliffs,whencegreatmasseswouldbeyearlydetached:
  thisislandwouldboastonlyofalittlemoss,grass,andburnet,andatitlarkwouldbeitsonlylandinhabitant。FromournewCapeHorninDenmark,achainofmountains,scarcelyhalftheheightoftheAlps,wouldruninastraightlineduesouthward;andonitswesternflankeverydeepcreekofthesea,orfiord,wouldendin“boldandastonishingglaciers。”Theselonelychannelswouldfrequentlyreverberatewiththefallsofice,andsooftenwouldgreatwavesrushalongtheircoasts;numerousicebergs,someastallascathedrals,andoccasionallyloadedwith“noinconsiderableblocksofrock。”wouldbestrandedontheoutlyingislets;atintervalsviolentearthquakeswouldshootprodigiousmassesoficeintothewatersbelow。Lastly,somemissionariesattemptingtopenetratealongarmofthesea,wouldbeholdthenotloftysurroundingmountains,sendingdowntheirmanygrandicystreamstothesea-coast,andtheirprogressintheboatswouldbecheckedbytheinnumerablefloatingicebergs,somesmallandsomegreat;andthiswouldhaveoccurredonourtwenty-secondofJune,andwheretheLakeofGenevaisnowspreadout![21][1]Thesouth-westerlybreezesaregenerallyverydry。January29th,beingatanchorunderCapeGregory:averyhardgalefromW。byS。,clearskywithfewcumuli;temperature57degs。,dew-point36degs。,——difference21degs。OnJanuary15th,atPortSt。Julian:inthemorning,lightwindswithmuchrain,followedbyaveryheavysquallwithrain,——settledintoheavygalewithlargecumuli,——clearedup,blowingverystrongfromS。S。W。Temperature60degs。,dew-point42degs。,——difference18degs。
  [2]Rengger,Natur。derSaeugethierevonParaguay。
  S。334。
  [3]CaptainFitzRoyinformsmethatinAprilourOctober,theleavesofthosetreeswhichgrownearthebaseofthemountainschangecolour,butnotthoseonthemoreelevatedparts。Irememberhavingreadsomeobservations,showingthatinEnglandtheleavesfallearlierinawarmandfineautumnthaninalateandcoldone,Thechangeinthecolourbeinghereretardedinthemoreelevated,andthereforecoldersituations,mustheowingtothesamegenerallawofvegetation。ThetreesofTierradelFuegoduringnopartoftheyearentirelyshedtheirleaves。
  [4]DescribedfrommyspecimensandnotesbytheRev。J。M。Berkeley,intheLinneanTransactionsvol。xix。p。37,underthenameofCyttariaDarwinii;theChileanspeciesistheC。Berteroii。
  ThisgenusisalliedtoBulgaria。
  [5]IbelieveImustexceptonealpineHaltica,andasinglespecimenofaMelasoma。Mr。Waterhouseinformsme,thatoftheHarpalidaethereareeightorninespecies——theformsofthegreaternumberbeingverypeculiar;ofHeteromera,fourorfivespecies;ofRhyncophora,sixorseven;andofthefollowingfamiliesonespeciesineach:Staphylinidae,Elateridae,Cebrionidae,Melolonthidae。Thespeciesintheotherordersareevenfewer。Inalltheorders,thescarcityoftheindividualsisevenmoreremarkablethanthatofthespecies。MostoftheColeopterahavebeencarefullydescribedbyMr。WaterhouseintheAnnalsofNat。Hist。
  [6]Itsgeographicalrangeisremarkablywide;itisfoundfromtheextremesouthernisletsnearCapeHorn,asfarnorthontheeasterncoastaccordingtoinformationgivenmebyMr。Stokes
  aslat。43degs。,——butonthewesterncoast,asDr。Hookertellsme,itextendstotheR。SanFranciscoinCalifornia,andperhapseventoKamtschatka。
  Wethushaveanimmenserangeinlatitude;andasCook,whomusthavebeenwellacquaintedwiththespecies,founditatKerguelenLand,nolessthan140degs。inlongitude。
  [7]VoyagesoftheAdventureandBeagle,vol。i。
  p。363——Itappearsthatsea-weedgrowsextremelyquick——Mr。StephensonfoundWilson’sVoyageroundScotland,vol。ii。p。228thatarockuncoveredonlyatspring-tides,whichhadbeenchiselledsmoothinNovember,onthefollowingMay,thatis,withinsixmonthsafterwards,wasthicklycoveredwithFucusdigitatustwofeet,andF。esculentussixfeet,inlength。
  [8]WithregardtoTierradelFuego,theresultsarededucedfromtheobservationsofCapt。KingGeographicalJournal,1830,andthosetakenonboardtheBeagle。FortheFalklandIslands,I
  amindebtedtoCapt。Sulivanforthemeanofthemeantemperaturereducedfromcarefulobservationsatmidnight,8A。M。,noon,and8P。M。ofthethreehottestmonths,viz。,December,January,andFebruary。ThetemperatureofDublinistakenfromBarton。
  [9]Agueros,Descrip。Hist。delaProv。deChiloe,1791,p。94。
  [10]SeetheGermanTranslationofthisJournal;
  andfortheotherfacts,Mr。Brown’sAppendixtoFlinders’sVoyage。
  [11]OntheCordilleraofcentralChile,Ibelievethesnow-linevariesexceedinglyinheightindifferentsummers。Iwasassuredthatduringoneverydryandlongsummer,allthesnowdisappearedfromAconcagua,althoughitattainstheprodigiousheightof23,000feet。