We here trace
the series of formations, divided and superposed according to their age, and
depending upon the changes of configuration of the surface, the dynamic
relations of upheaving forces, and the chemical action of vapors issuing
from the fissures.
The form and distribution of continents, that is to say, of that solid
portion of the Earth's surface which is suited to the luxurious development
of vegetable life, are associated by intimate connection and reciprocal
action with the encircling
p 162
sea in which organic life is almost entirely limited to the animal world.
The liquid element is again covered by the atmosphere, an a?‘rial ocean in
which the mountain chains and high plains of the dry land rise like shoals,
occasioning a variety of currents and changes of temperature, collecting
vapor from the region of clouds, and distributing life and motion by the
action of the streams of water which flow from their declivities.
While the geography of plants and animals depends on these intricate
relations of the distribution of sea and land, the configuration of the
surface, and the direction of isothermal lines (or zones of equal mean
annual heat), we find that the case is totally different when we consider
the human race -- the last and noblest subject in a physical description of
the globe.
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