The sea and its living wonders; a popular account of the marvels of the deep / [G. Hartwig].

  • Hartwig, G. (Georg), 1813-1880
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The sea and its living wonders; a popular account of the marvels of the deep / [G. Hartwig]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHAPTER I. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SEA. Extent of the Ocean.—Length of its Coast-Line.—Mural, Rocky, and Flat Coasts. — How deep is the Sea? —Depth of the Atlantic, according to Maury. — The Telegraphic Plateau between Newfoundland and Ireland. — Measurement of Depth by the Rapidity of the Tide-Wave.—Progressive Changes in the Limits of the Ocean.—Alluvial Deposits.— Upheaving.— Subsidence.— Does the Level of the Sea remain unchanged, and is it everywhere the same ? — Composition and Temperature of Sea-Water.— Its intrinsic Colour.—The Azure Grotto at Capri. —Modification of Colour owing to Animals and Plants.—Submarine Landscapes viewed through the Clear Waters. Of all the gods that divide the empire of the earth, Neptune rules over the widest realms. If a giant-hand were to uproot the Andes and cast them into the sea, they would he engulphed in the abyss, and scarcely raise the general level of the waters. The South American Pampas, hounded on the north by tropical palm-trees, and on the south by wintry firs, are no doubt of magnificent dimensions, yet these vast deserts seem insignificant when compared with the boundless plains of earth- encircling ocean. Nay! a whole continent, even America or Asia, appears small against the immensity of the sea, which covers with its rolling waves nearly three-fourths of the entire surface of the globe. A single glance over the map shows us at once how very un- equally water and land are distributed. In one part we see continents and islands closely grouped together, while in another the sea widely spreads in one unbroken plain; here vast penin- sulas stretch far away into the domains of ocean, while there immense gulfs plunge deeply into the bosom of the land. At first sight it might appear as if blind chance had presided over this distribution, but a nearer view convinces us that providen-