Itisuponthisandotherunimpeachablegroundsthat，asI
venturedtosaysometimeago，personswhoaredulyconversantwitheventheelementsofnaturalsciencedeclinetotaketheNoachiandelugeseriously；andthat，asIalsopointedout，candidtheologians，who，withoutspecialscientificknowledge，haveappreciatedtheweightofscientificarguments，havelongsincegivenitup。But，asGoethehasremarked，thereisnothingmoreterriblethanenergeticignorance；andthereare，evenyet，veryenergeticpeople，whoareneithercandid，norclear—
headed，northeologians，stilllessproperlyinstructedintheelementsofnaturalscience，whomakeprodigiouseffortstoobscuretheeffectoftheseplaintruths，andtoconcealtheirrealsurrenderofthehistoricalcharacterofNoah’sdelugeundercoverofthesmokeofagreatdischargeofpseudoscientificartillery。Theyseemtoimaginethattheproofswhichaboundinallpartsoftheworld，oflargeoscillationsoftherelativeleveloflandandsea，combinedwiththeprobabilitythat，whenthesea—levelwasrising，suddenincursionsofthesealikethatwhichbrokeinoverHollandandformedtheZuyderZee，mayhaveoftenoccurred，canbemadetolooklikeevidencethatsomethingthat，bycourtesy，mightbecalledageneralDelugehasreallytakenplace。Theirdiscursiveenergydragsmisunderstoodtruthintotheirservice；and"theglacialepoch"isassuretocropupamongthemasKingCharles’sheadinafamousmemorial——withaboutasmuchappropriateness。TheoldstoryoftheraisedbeachonMoelTryfaenistrottedout；though，evenifthefactsareasyetrightlyinterpreted，thereisnotashadowofevidencethatthechangeofsea—levelinthatlocalitywassudden，orthatglacialWelshmenwouldhaveknownitwastakingplace。Surelyitisdifficulttoperceivetherelevancyofbringinginsomethingthathappenedintheglacialepoch（ifitdidhappen）toaccountforthetraditionofafloodintheEuphratesvalleybetween2000and3000B。C。ButthedateoftheNoachianfloodissolidlyfixedbythesoleauthorityforit；noshufflingofthechronologicaldatawillcarryitsofarbackas3000B。C。；
andtheHebreweposagreeswiththeChaldaeaninplacingitafterthedevelopmentofasomewhatadvancedcivilisation。
TheonlyauthorityfortheNoachiandelugeassuresusthat，beforeitvisitedtheearth，Cainhadbuiltcities；Jubalhadinventedharpsandorgans；whilemankindhadadvancedsofarbeyondtheneolithic，nayeventhebronze，stagethatTubal—cainwasaworkeriniron。Therefore，iftheNoachianlegendistobetakenforthehistoryofaneventwhichhappenedintheglacialepoch，wemustreviseournotionsofpleistocenecivilisation。
Ontheotherhand，ifthePentateuchalstoryonlymeanssomethingquitedifferent，thathappenedsomewhereelse，thousandsofyearsearlier，dressedup，whatbecomesofitscreditashistory？IwonderwhatwouldbesaidtoamodernhistorianwhoassertedthatPekinwasburntdownin1886，andthentriedtojustifytheassertionbyadducingevidenceoftheGreatFireofLondonin1666。YettheattempttosavethecreditoftheNoachianstorybyreferencetosomethingwhichissupposedtohavehappenedinthefarnorth，intheglacialepoch，isfarmorepreposterous。
Moreover，thesedust—raisingdialecticiansignoresomeofthemostimportantandwell—knownfactswhichbearuponthequestion。AnythingmorethanaparochialacquaintancewithphysicalgeographyandgeologywouldsufficetoreminditspossessorthattheHolyLanditselfoffersastandingprotestagainstbringingsuchadelugeasthatofNoahanywherenearit，eitherinhistoricaltimesorinthecourseofthatpleistoceneperiod，ofwhichthe"greaticeage"formedapart。
JudaeaandGalilee，MoabandGilead，occupypartofthatextensivetablelandatthesummitofthewesternboundaryoftheEuphratesvalley，towhichIhavealreadyreferred。Ifthatvalleyhadeverbeenfilledwithwatertoaheightsufficient，notindeedtocoverathirdofArarat，inthenorth，orhalfofsomeofthemountainsofthePersianfrontierintheeast，buttoreachevenfourorfivethousandfeet，itmusthavestoodoverthePalestinianhog’sback，andhavefilled，uptothebrim，everydepressiononitssurface。ThereforeitcouldnothavefailedtofillthatremarkabletrenchinwhichtheDeadSea，theJordan，andtheSeaofGalileelie，andwhichisknownasthe"Jordan—Arabah"valley。
Thislonganddeephollowextendsmorethan200miles，fromnearthesiteofancientDaninthenorth，tothewater—partingattheheadoftheWadyArabahinthesouth；anditsdeepestpart，atthebottomofthebasinoftheDeadSea，lies2500feetbelowthesurfaceoftheadjacentMediterranean。ThelowestportionoftherimoftheJordan—ArabahvalleyissituatedatthevillageofElFuleh，257feetabovetheMediterranean。Everywhereelsethecircumjacentheightsrisetoaverymuchgreateraltitude。
Hence，ofthewaterwhichstoodovertheSyriantableland，whenasmuchdrainedoffascouldrunaway，enoughwouldremaintoforma"Mere"withoutanoutlet，2757feetdeep，overthepresentsiteoftheDeadSea。Fromthistimeforth，thelevelofthePalestinianmerecouldbeloweredonlybyevaporation。Itisanextremelyinterestingfact，whichhashappilyescapedcaptureforthepurposesoftheenergeticmisunderstanding，thatthevalley，atonetime，wasfilled，certainlywithin150feetofthisheight——probablyhigher。Anditisalmostequallycertain，thatthetimeatwhichthisgreatJordan—Arabahmerereacheditshighestlevelcoincideswiththeglacialepoch。Butthentheevidencewhichgoestoprovethis，alsoleadstotheconclusionthatthisstateofthingsobtainedataperiodconsiderablyolderthaneven4000B。C。，whentheworld，accordingtothe"Helps"（orshallwesay"Hindrances"）providedforthesimplestudentoftheBible，wascreated；thatitwasnotbroughtaboutbyanydiluvialcatastrophe，butwastheresultofachangeintherelativeactivitiesofcertainnaturaloperationswhicharequietlygoingonnow；andthat，sincethelevelofthemerebegantosink，manythousandyearsago，noseriouscatastropheofanydescriptionhasaffectedthevalley。
TheevidencethattheJordan—Arabahvalleyreallywasoncefilledwithwater，thesurfaceofwhichreachedwithin160feetofthelevelofthepassofJezrael，andpossiblystoodhigher，isthis：Remainsofalluvialstrata，containingshellsofthefreshwatermolluskswhichstillinhabitthevalley，worndownintoterracesbywaveswhichlongrippledatthesamelevel，andfurrowedbythechannelsexcavatedbymodernrainfalls，havebeenfoundattheformerheight；andtheyarerepeated，atintervals，lowerdown，untiltheGhor，orplainoftheJordan，itselfanalluvialdeposit，isreached。Thesestrataattainaconsiderablethickness；andtheyindicatethattheepochatwhichthefreshwatermereofPalestinereacheditshighestlevelisextremelyremote；thatitsdiminutionhastakenplaceveryslowly，andwithperiodsofrest，duringwhichthefirstformeddepositswerecutdownintoterraces。Thisconclusionisstrikinglyborneoutbyotherfacts。AvolcanicregionstretchesfromGalileetoGileadandtheHauran，oneachsideofthenorthernendofthevalley。Someofthestreamsofbasalticlavawhichhavebeenthrownoutfromitscratersandcleftsintimesofwhichhistoryhasnorecord，haverunathwartthecourseoftheJordanitself，orofthatofsomeofitstributarystreams。
Thelavastreams，therefore，mustbeoflaterdatethanthedepressionstheyfill。Andyet，wheretheyhavethustemporarilydammedtheJordanandtheJermuk，thesestreamshavehadtimetocutthroughthehardbasaltsandlaybarethebeds，overwhich，beforethelavastreamsinvadedthem，theyflowed。
Infact，theantiquityofthepresentJordan—Arabahvalley，asahollowinatableland，outofreachofthesea，andtroubledbynodiluvialorotherdisturbances，beyondthevolcaniceruptionsofGileadandofGalilee，isvast，evenasestimatedbyageologicalstandard。Nomarinedepositsoflaterthanmioceneageoccurinoraboutit；andthereiseveryreasontobelievethattheSyro—Arabianplateauhasbeendryland，throughouttheplioceneandlaterepochs，downtothepresenttime。
Raisedbeaches，containingrecentshells，ontheLevantineshoresoftheMediterraneanandonthoseoftheRedSea，testifytoageologicallyrecentchangeofthesealeveltotheextentof250or300feet，probablyproducedbytheslowelevationoftheland；and，asIhavealreadyremarked，thealluvialplainoftheEuphratesandTigrisappearstohavebeenaffectedinthesameway，thoughseeminglytoalessextent。Butofviolent，orcatastrophic，changethereisnotrace。Eventhevolcanicoutburstshaveflowedinevensheetsovertheoldlandsurface；
andthelonglinesofthehorizontalterraceswhichremain，testifytothegeologicalinsignificanceofsuchearthquakesashavetakenplace。Itis，indeed，possiblethattheoriginalformationofthevalleymayhavebeendeterminedbythewell—
knownfault，alongwhichthewesternrocksarerelativelydepressedandtheeasternelevated。But，whetherthatfaultwaseffectedslowlyorquickly，andwheneveritcameintoexistence，theexcavationofthevalleytoitspresentwidth，nolessthanthesculpturingofitssteepwallsandoftheinnumerabledeepravineswhichscorethemdowntotheverybottom，areindubitablyduetotheoperationofrainandstreams，duringanenormouslengthoftime，withoutinterruptionordisturbanceofanymagnitude。Thealluvialdepositswhichhavebeenmentionedarecontinuedintothelateralravines，andhavemoreorlessfilledthem。But，sincethewatershavebeenlowered，thesedepositshavebeencutdowntogreatdepths，andarestillbeingexcavatedbythepresenttemporary，orpermanent，streams。
Hence，itfollows，thatalltheseravinesmusthaveexistedbeforethetimeatwhichthevalleywasoccupiedbythegreatmere。ThisfactacquiresapeculiarimportancewhenweproceedtoconsiderthegroundsfortheconclusionthattheoldPalestinianmereattaineditshighestlevelinthecoldperiodofthepleistoceneepoch。ItiswellknownthatglaciersformerlycamelowdownontheflanksofLebanonandAntilebanon；
indeed，theoldmorainesarethehauntsofthefewsurvivorsofthefamouscedars。ThisimpliesaperennialsnowcapofgreatextentonHermon；therefore，avastlygreatersupplyofwatertothesourcesoftheJordanwhichriseonitsflanks；and，inaddition，suchatotalchangeinthegeneralclimate，thattheinnumerableWadys，nowtraversedonlybyoccasionalstormtorrents，musthavebeenoccupiedbyperennialstreams。Allthisinvolvesalowerannualtemperatureandamoistandrainyatmosphere。Ifsuchachangeofmeteorologicalconditionscouldbeeffectednow，whenthelossbyevaporationfromthesurfaceoftheDeadSeasalt—panbalancesallthegainfromtheJordanandotherstreams，thescalewouldbeturnedintheotherdirection。ThewatersoftheDeadSeawouldbecomediluted；
itslevelwouldrise；itwouldcover，firsttheplainoftheJordan，thenthelakeofGalilee，thenthemiddleJordanbetweenthislakeandthatofHuleh（theancientMerom）；and，finally，itwouldencroach，northwards，alongthecourseoftheupperJordan，and，southwards，uptheWadyArabah，untilitreachedsome260feetabovetheleveloftheMediterranean，whenitwouldattainapermanentlevel，bysendinganysuperfluitythroughthepassofJezraeltoswellthewatersoftheKishon，andflowthenceintotheMediterranean。
Reversetheprocess，inconsequenceoftheexcessoflossbyevaporationovergainbyinflow，whichmusthavesetinastheclimateofSyriachangedaftertheendofthepleistoceneepoch，and（withouttakingintoconsiderationanyothercircumstances）
thepresentstateofthingsmusteventuallybereached——aconcentratedsalinesolutioninthedeepestpartofthevalley——
water，rathermorechargedwithsalinematterthanordinaryfreshwater，inthelowerJordanandthelakeofGalilee——freshwaters，stilllargelyderivedfromthesnowsofHermon，intheupperJordanandinLakeHuleh。But，ifthefullstateoftheJordanvalleymarkstheglacialepoch，thenitfollowsthattheexcavationofthatvalleybyatmosphericagenciesmusthaveoccupiedanimmenseantecedenttime——alargepart，perhapsthewhole，oftheplioceneepoch；andwearethusforcedtotheconclusionthat，sincethemioceneepoch，thephysicalconformationoftheHolyLandhasbeensubstantiallywhatitisnow。Ithasbeenmoreorlessrainedupon，searchedbyearthquakeshereandthere，partiallyoverflowedbylavastreams，slowlyraised（relativelytothesea—level）afewhundredfeet。Butthereisnotashadowofgroundforsupposingthat，throughoutallthistime，terrestrialanimalshaveceasedtoinhabitalargepartofitssurface；orthat，inmanyparts，theyhavebeen，inanyrespect，incommodedbythechangeswhichhavetakenplace。
TheevidenceofthegeneralstabilityofthephysicalconditionsofWesternAsia，whichisfurnishedbyPalestineandbytheEuphratesValley，isonlyfortifiedifweextendourviewnorthwardstotheBlackSeaandtheCaspian。TheCaspianisasortofmagnifiedreplicaoftheDeadSea。Thebottomofthedeepestpartofthisvastinlandmereisabout3000feetbelowtheleveloftheMediterranean，whileitssurfaceislowerby85
feet。Atpresent，itisseparated，onthewest，bywidespacesofdrylandfromtheBlackSea，whichhasthesameheightastheMediterranean；and，ontheeast，fromtheAral，138feetabovethatlevel。ThewatersoftheBlackSea，nowincommunicationwiththeMediterraneanbytheDardanellesandtheBosphorus，aresalt，butbecomebrackishnorthwards，wheretheriversofthesteppespourinagreatvolumeoffreshwater。ThoseoftheshallowernorthernhalfoftheCaspianaresimilarlyaffectedbytheVolgaandtheUral，while，intheshallowbaysofthesoutherndivision，theybecomeextremelysalineinconsequenceoftheintenseevaporation。TheAralSea，thoughsuppliedbytheJaxartesandtheOxus，hasbrackishwater。Thereisevidencethat，intheplioceneandpleistoceneperiods，togonofartherback，thestraitoftheDardanellesdidnotexist，andthatthevastarea，fromthevalleyoftheDanubetothatoftheJaxartes，wascoveredbybrackishor，insomeparts，freshwatertoaheightofatleast200feetabovetheleveloftheMediterranean。Atthepresenttime，thewater—partingwhichseparatesthenorthernpartofthebasinoftheCaspianfromthevastplainstraversedbytheTobolandtheObi，intheircoursetotheArcticOcean，appearstobelessthan200feetabovethelatter。Itwouldseem，therefore，tobeveryprobablethat，undertheclimatalconditionsofpartofthepleistoceneperiod，thevalleyoftheObiplayedthesamepartinrelationtothePonto—Araliansea，asthatoftheKishonmayhavedonetothegreatmereoftheJordanvalley；andthattheoutflowformedthechannelbywhichthewell—knownArcticelementsofthefaunaoftheCaspianenteredit。ForthefossilremainsimbeddedinthestratacontinuouslydepositedintheAralo—Caspianarea，sincethelatterendofthemioceneepoch，shownosignthat，fromthattimeonward，ithaseverbeencoveredbyseawater。
Therefore，thesuppositionofafreeinflowoftheArcticOcean，whichatonetimewasgenerallyreceived，aswellasthatofvarioushypotheticaldelugesfromthatquarter，mustbeseriouslyquestioned。
TheCaspianandtheAralstandinsomewhatthesamerelationtothevastbasinofdrylandinwhichtheylie，astheDeadSeaandthelakeofGalileetotheJordanvalley。Theyaretheremainsofavast，mostlybrackish，mere，whichhasdriedupinconsequenceoftheexcessofevaporationoversupply，sincethecoldanddampclimateofthepleistoceneepochgaveplacetotheincreasingdrynessandgreatsummerheatsofCentralAsiainmoremoderntimes。ThedesiccationoftheAralo—Caspianbasin，whichcommunicatedwiththeBlackSeaonlybyacomparativelynarrowandshallowstraitalongthepresentvalleyofManytsch，thebottomofwhichwaslessthan100feetabovetheMediterranean，musthavebeenvastlyaidedbytheerosionofthestraitoftheDardanellestowardstheendofthepleistoceneepoch，orperhapslater。FortheresultofthusopeningapassageforthewatersoftheBlackSeaintotheMediterraneanmusthavebeenthegradualloweringofitsleveltothatofthelattersea。WhenthisprocesshadgonesofarastobringdowntheBlackSeawatertowithinlessthanahundredfeetofitspresentlevel，thestraitofManytschceasedtoexist；andthevastbodyoffreshwaterbroughtdownbytheDanube，theDnieper，theDon，andotherSouthRussianriverswascutofffromtheCaspian，andeventuallydeliveredintotheMediterranean。Thus，thereisasconclusiveevidenceasonecanwellhopetoobtaininthesematters，that，northoftheEuphratesvalley，thephysicalgeographyofanareaaslargeasallCentralEuropehasremainedessentiallyunchanged，fromthemioceneperioddowntoourtime；justas，tothewestoftheEuphratesvalley，Palestinehasexhibitedasimilarpersistenceofgeographicaltype。Tothesouth，thevalleyoftheNiletellsexactlythesamestory。TheholesboredbymiocenemollusksinthecliffseastandwestofCairobearwitnessthat，inthemioceneepoch，itcontainedanarmofthesea，thebottomofwhichhassincebeengraduallyfilledupbythealluviumoftheNile，andelevatedtoitspresentposition。ButthehigherpartsoftheMokattamandofthedesertaboutGhizeh，havebeendrylandfromthattimetothis。ToolittleisknownofthegeologyofPersia，atpresent，toallowanypositiveconclusiontobeenunciated。But，takingthenametoindicatethewholecontinentalmassofIran，betweenthevalleysoftheIndusandtheEuphrates，thesuppositionthatitsphysicalgeographyhasremainedunchangedforanimmenselylongperiodishardlyrash。
Thecountryis，infact，anenormousbasin，surroundedonallsidesbyamountainousrim，andsubdividedwithinbyridgesintoplateausandhollows，thebottomofthedeepestofwhich，intheprovinceofSeistan，probablydescendstotheleveloftheIndianOcean。Thesedepressionsareoccupiedbysaltmarshesanddeserts，inwhichthewatersofthestreamswhichflowdownthesidesofthebasinarenowdissipatedbyevaporation。IamacquaintedwithnoevidencethatthepresentIranianbasinwaseveroccupiedbythesea；buttheaccumulationsofgraveloveragreatextentofitssurfaceindicatelong—continuedwateraction。Itis，therefore，afairpresumptionthatlargelakeshavecoveredmuchofitspresentdeserts，andthattheyhavedriedupbytheoperationofthesamechangedclimatalconditionsasthosewhichhavereducedtheCaspianandtheDeadSeatotheirpresentdimensions。
ThusitwouldseemthattheEuphratesvalley，thecentreofthefabledNoachiandeluge，isalsothecentreofaregioncoveringsomemillionsofsquaremilesofthepresentcontinentsofEurope，Asia，andAfrica，inwhichallthefacts，relevanttotheargument，atpresentknown，convergetotheconclusionthat，sincethemioceneepoch，theessentialfeaturesofitsphysicalgeographyhaveremainedunchanged；thatithasneitherbeendepressedbelowthesea，norsweptbydiluvialwaterssincethattime；andthattheChaldaeanversionofthelegendofafloodintheEuphratesvalleyis，ofallthosewhichareextant，theonlyonewhichisevenconsistentwithprobability，sinceitdepictsalocalinundation，notmoreseverethanonewhichmightbebroughtaboutbyaconcurrenceoffavourableconditionsatthepresentday；andwhichmightprobablyhavebeenmoreeasilyeffectedwhenthePersianGulfextendedfarthernorth。
Hence，therecoursetothe"glacialepoch"forsomeeventwhichmightcolourablyrepresentaflood，distinctlyassertedbytheonlyauthorityforittohaveoccurredinhistoricaltimes，ispeculiarlyunfortunate。EvenaWelshantiquarymighthesitateoverthesuppositionthatatraditionofthefateofMoelTryfaen，intheglacialepoch，hadfurnishedthebasisoffactforalegendwhicharoseamongpeoplewhoseownexperienceabundantlysuppliedthemwiththeneedfulprecedents。
Moreover，ifevidenceofinterchangesoflandandseaaretobeacceptedas"confirmations"ofNoah’sdeluge，thereareplentyofsourcesforthetraditiontobehadmuchnearerthanWales。
ThedepressionnowfilledbytheRedSea，forexample，appearstobe，geologically，ofveryrecentorigin。Thelaterdepositsfoundonitsshores，twoorthreehundredfeetabovethesealevel，containnoremainsolderthanthoseofthepresentfauna；
while，asIhavealreadymentioned，thevalleyoftheadjacentdeltaoftheNilewasagulfoftheseainmiocenetimes。
ButthereisnotaparticleofevidencethatthechangeofrelativelevelwhichadmittedthewatersoftheIndianOceanbetweenArabiaandAfrica，tookplaceanyfasterthanthatwhichisnowgoingoninGreenlandandScandinavia，andwhichhaslefttheirinhabitantsundisturbed。Evenmoreremarkablechangeswereeffected，towardstheendof，orsince，theglacialepoch，overtheregionnowoccupiedbytheLevantineMediterraneanandtheAEgeanSea。TheeasterncoastregionofAsiaMinor，thewesternofGreece，andmanyoftheintermediateislands，exhibitthickmassesofstratifieddepositsoflatertertiaryageandofpurelylacustrinecharacters；anditisremarkablethat，onthesouthsideoftheislandofCrete，suchmassespresentsteepcliffsfacingthesea，sothatthesouthernboundaryofthelakeinwhichtheywereformedmusthavebeensituatedwheretheseanowflows。Indeed，therearevalidreasonsforthesuppositionthatthedrylandonceextendedfartothewestofthepresentLevantinecoast，andnotimprobablyforcedtheNiletoseekanoutlettothenorth—eastofitspresentdelta——apossibilityofnosmallimportanceinrelationtocertainpuzzlingfactsinthegeographicaldistributionofanimalsinthisregion。Atanyrate，continuouslandjoinedAsiaMinorwiththeBalkanpeninsula；anditssurfaceboredeepfresh—waterlakes，apparentlydisconnectedwiththePonto—Araliansea。ThisstateofthingslastedlongenoughtoallowoftheformationofthethicklacustrinestratatowhichIhavereferred。IamnotawarethatthereisthesmallestgroundfortheassumptionthattheAEgeanlandwasbrokenupinconsequenceofanyofthe"catastrophes"whicharesocommonlyinvoked。Foranythingthatappearstothecontrary，thenarrow，steep—sided，straitsbetweentheislandsoftheAEgeanarchipelagomayhavebeenoriginallybroughtaboutbyordinaryatmosphericandstreamaction；andmaythenhavebeenfilledfromtheMediterranean，duringaslowsubmergenceproceedingfromthesouthnorthwards。
ThestraitoftheDardanellesisboundedbyundisturbedpleistocenestratafortyfeetthick，throughwhich，toallappearance，thepresentpassagehasbeenquietlycut。
ThatOlympusandOssaweretornasunderandthewatersoftheThessalianbasinpouredforth，isaveryancientnotion，andanoftencited"confirmation"ofDeucalion’sflood。Ithasnotyetceasedtobeinvogue，apparentlybecausethosewhoentertainitarenotawarethatmoderngeologicalinvestigationhasconclusivelyprovedthatthegorgeofthePenensisastypicalanexampleofavalleyoferosionasanytobeseeninAuvergneorinColorado。
Thus，intheimmediatevicinityofthevastexpanseofcountrywhichcanbeprovedtohavebeenuntouchedbyanycatastrophebefore，during，andsincethe"glacialepoch，"liethegreatareasoftheAEgeanandtheRedSea，inwhich，duringorsincetheglacialepoch，changesoftherelativepositionsoflandandseahavetakenplace，incomparisonwithwhichthesubmergenceofMoelTryfaen，withallWalesandScotlandtoboot，doesnotcometomuch。
What，then，istherelevancyoftalkaboutthe"glacialepoch"
tothequestionofthehistoricalveracityofthenarratorofthestoryoftheNoachiandeluge？Sofarasmyknowledgegoes，thereisnotaparticleofevidencethatdestructiveinundationsweremorecommon，overthegeneralsurfaceoftheearth，intheglacialepochthantheyhavebeenbeforeorsince。Nodoubtthefringeofanice—coveredregionmustbealwaysliabletothem；
but，ifweexaminetherecordsofsuchcatastrophesinhistoricaltimes，thoseproducedinthedeltasofgreatrivers，orinlowlandslikeHolland，bysuddenfloods，combinedwithgalesofwindorwithunusualtides，farexcelallothers。
Withrespecttosuchinundationsasaretheconsequencesofearthquakes，andotherslightmovementsofthecrustoftheearth，Ihaveneverheardofanythingtoshowthattheyweremorefrequentandsevererinthequaternaryortertiaryepochsthantheyarenow。Inthediscussionofthese，asofallothergeologicalproblems，theappealtoneedlesscatastrophesisbornofthatimpatienceoftheslowandpainfulsearchaftersufficientcauses，intheordinarycourseofnature，whichisatemptationtoall，thoughonlyenergeticignorancenowadayscompletelysuccumbstoit。
POSTSCRIPT。
MybestthanksareduetoMr。GladstoneforhiscourteouswithdrawalofoneofthestatementstowhichIhavethoughtitneedfultotakeexception。Thefamiliaritywithcontroversy，towhichMr。Gladstonealludes，willhaveaccustomedhimtothemisadventureswhicharisewhen，assometimeswillhappenintheheatoffence，thebuttonscomeoffthefoils。Itrustthatanyscratchwhichhemayhavereceivedwillhealasquicklyasmyownfleshwoundshavedone。
AcontributiontothelastnumberofthisReview（TheNineteenthCentury）ofadifferentorderwouldbeleftunnoticed，wereitnotthatmysilencewouldconvertmeintoanaccessorytomisrepresentationsofaverygravecharacter。
However，Ishallrestrictmyselftothebarestpossiblestatementoffacts，leavingmyreaderstodrawtheirownconclusions。
Inanarticleentitled"AGreatLesson，"publishedinthisReviewforSeptember，1887：
（1）TheDukeofArgyllsaysthe"overthrowofDarwin’sspeculations"（p。301）concerningtheoriginofcoralreefs，whichhefanciedhadtakenplace，hadbeenreceivedbymenofscience"withagrudgingsilenceasfaraspublicdiscussionisconcerned"（p。301）。
Thetruthisthat，aseveryoneacquaintedwiththeliteratureofthesubjectwaswellaware，theviewssupposedtohaveeffectedthisoverthrowhadbeenfullyandpubliclydiscussedbyDanaintheUnitedStates；byGeikie，Green，andPrestwichinthiscountry；byLapparentinFrance；andbyCrednerinGermany。
（2）TheDukeofArgyllsays"thatnoseriousreplyhaseverbeenattempted"（p。305）。
Thetruthisthatthehighestlivingauthorityonthesubject，ProfessorDana，publishedamostweightyreply，twoyearsbeforetheDukeofArgyllcommittedhimselftothisstatement。
（3）TheDukeofArgyllusestheprecedingproductsofdefectiveknowledge，multipliedbyexcessiveimagination，toillustratethemannerinwhich"certainacceptedopinions"established"asortofReignofTerrorintheirownbehalf"（p。307）。
Thetruthisthatnoplea，exceptthatoftotalignoranceoftheliteratureofthesubject，canexcusetheerrorscited，andthatthe"ReignofTerror"isapurelysubjectivephenomenon。
（4）Theletterin"Nature"forthe17thofNovember，1887，towhichIamreferred，containsneithersubstantiation，norretractation，ofstatements1and2。Nevertheless，itrepeatsnumber3。TheDukeofArgyllsaysofhisarticlethatit"hasdonewhatIintendedittodo。Ithascalledwideattentiontotheinfluenceofmereauthorityinestablishingerroneoustheoriesandinretardingtheprogressofscientifictruth。"
（5）TheDukeofArgyllillustratestheinfluenceofhisfictitious"ReignofTerror"bythestatementthatMr。JohnMurray"wasstronglyadvisedagainstthepublicationofhisviewsinderogationofDarwin’slong—acceptedtheoryofthecoralislands，andwasactuallyinducedtodelayitfortwoyears"（p。307）。Andin"Nature"forthel7thNovember，1887，theDukeofArgyllstatesthathehasseenaletterfromSirWyvilleThomsoninwhichhe"urgedandalmostinsistedthatMr。MurrayshouldwithdrawthereadingofhispapersonthesubjectfromtheRoyalSocietyofEdinburgh。ThiswasinFebruary，1877。"
Thenextparagraph，however，containstheconfession：
"Nospecialreasonwasassigned。"TheDukeofArgyllproceedstogiveaspeculativeopinionthat"SirWyvilledreadedsomeinjurytothescientificreputationofthebodyofwhichhewasthechief。"Truly，averyprobablesupposition；butasSirWyvilleThomson’stendencieswerenotoriouslyanti—Darwinian，itdoesnotappeartometolendtheslightestjustificationtotheDukeofArgyll’sinsinuationthattheDarwinian"terror"influencedhim。However，thequestionwasfinallysetatrestbyaletterwhichappearedin"Nature"（29thofDecember，1887），inwhichthewritersaysthat：
"talkingwithSirWyvilleabout’Murray’snewtheory，’Iaskedwhatobjectionhehadtoitsbeingbroughtbeforethepublic？
Theanswersimplywas：heconsideredthatthegroundsofthetheoryhadnot，asyet，beensufficientlyinvestigatedorsufficientlycorroborated，andthatthereforeanyimmaturedogmaticpublicationofitwoulddolessthanlittleserviceeithertoscienceortotheauthorofthepaper。"
SirWyvilleThomsonwasanintimatefriendofmine，andIamgladtohavebeenaffordedonemoreopportunityofclearinghischaracterfromtheaspersionswhichhavebeensorecklesslycastuponhisgoodsenseandhisscientifichonour。
（6）Astothe"overthrow"ofDarwin’stheory，which，accordingtotheDukeofArgyll，waspatenttoeveryunprejudicedpersonfouryearsago，Ihaverecentlybecomeacquaintedwithawork，inwhichareallycompetentauthority，thoroughlyacquaintedwithallthenewlightswhichhavebeenthrownuponthesubjectduringthelasttenyears，pronouncesthejudgment；
firstly，thatsomeofthefactsbroughtforwardbyMessrs。
MurrayandGuppyagainstDarwin’stheoryarenotfacts；
secondly，thattheothersarereconcilablewithDarwin’stheory；
and，thirdly，thatthetheoriesofMessrs。MurrayandGuppy"arecontradictedbyaseriesofimportantfacts"（p。13）。
PerhapsIhadbetterdrawattentiontothecircumstancethatDr。LangenbeckwritesundershelterofthegunsofthefortressofStrasburg；andmaythereforebepresumedtobeunaffectedbythosedreamsofa"ReignofTerror"whichseemtodisturbthepeaceofsomeofusintheseislands（April，1891）。
[See，onthesubjectofthisnote，theessayentitled"AnEpiscopalTrilogy"inthefollowingvolume。]
FOOTNOTES
（1）InMay1849theTigrisatBagdadrose22—1/2feet——5feetaboveitsusualrise——andnearlysweptawaythetown。In1831asimilarlyexceptionalflooddidimmensedamage，destroying7000
houses。SeeLoftus，ChaldeaandSusiana，p。7。
（2）SeetheinstructivechapteronHasisadra’sfloodinSuess，DasAntlitzderErde，Abth。I。OnlyfifteenyearsagoacycloneintheBayofBengalgaverisetoafloodwhichcovered3000squaremilesofthedeltaoftheGanges，3to45feetdeep，destroying100，000people，innumerablecattle，houses，andtrees。ItbrokeinlandontherisinggroundofTipperah，andmayhavesweptavesselfromtheseathatfar，thoughIdonotknowthatitdid。
（3）SeeCernik’smapsinPetermannsMittheilungen，
Erganzungashefte44and45，1875—76。
（4）Ihavenotcitedthedimensionsgiventotheshipsinmosttranslationsofthestory，becausethereappearstobeadoubtaboutthem。Haupt（KeilinschriftlicheSindfluth—Bericht，
p。13）saysthatthefiguresareillegible。
（5）Itisprobablethataslowmovementofelevationofthelandatonetimecontributedtotheresult——perhapsdoessostill。
（6）Atacomparativelyrecentperiod，thelittoralmarginofthePersianGulfextendedcertainly250milesfarthertothenorthwestthanthepresentembouchureoftheShatt—elArab。
（Loftus，QuarterlyJournaloftheGeologicalSociety，
1853，p。251。）Theactualextentofthemarinedepositinlandcannotbedefined，asitiscoveredbylaterfluviatiledeposits。
（7）Tiele（Babylonisch—AssyrischeGeschicthe，pp。572—3）
hassomeveryjustremarksonthisaspectoftheepos。
（8）InthesecondvolumeoftheHistoryoftheEuphrates，
p。637Col。ChesneygivesaveryinterestingaccountofthesimpleandrapidmannerinwhichthepeopleaboutTekritandinthemarshesofLemlumconstructlargebarges，andmakethemwater—tightwithbitumen。DoubtlessthepracticeisextremelyancientandasColonelChesneysuggests，maypossiblyhavefurnishedtheconceptionofNoah’sark。Butitisonethingtobuildabarge44ft。longby11ft。wideand4ft。deepinthewaydescribed；andanothertogetavesseloftentimesthedimensions，soconstructed，toholdtogether。
（9）"EsistnichtsschrecklicheralseinethatigeUnwissenheit，"
MaximenundReflexionen，iii。
（10）Thewell—knowndifficultiesconnectedwiththiscasehaverecentlybeencarefullydiscussedbyMr。BellintheTransactionsoftheGeologicalSocietyofGlasgow。
（11）Aninstructiveparallelisexhibitedbythe"GreatBasin"
ofNorthAmerica。SeetheremarkablememoironLakeBonnevillebyMr。G。K。Gilbert，oftheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey，justpublished。
（12）Itistruethatearthquakesarecommonenough，buttheyareincompetenttoproducesuchchangesasthosewhichhavetakenplace。
（13）SeeTeller，GeologischeBeschreibungdessud—ostlichenThessalien；Denkschriftend。AkademiederWissenschaften，Wien，Bd。xl。p。199。
（14）Dr。Langenbeck，DieTheorienuberdieEntstehungderKorallen—InselnundKorallen—Riffe（p。13），1890。