or a process of evolution, must have occurred; or else the whole
story must be given up, as not only devoid of any circumstantial
evidence, but contrary to such evidence as exists.

I placed before you in a few words, some little time ago, a
statement of the sum and substance of Milton's hypothesis.
Let me now try to state as briefly, the effect of the
circumstantial evidence bearing upon the past history of the
earth which is furnished, without the possibility of mistake,
with no chance of error as to its chief features, by the
stratified rocks. What we find is, that the great series of
formations represents a period of time of which our human
chronologies hardly afford us a unit of measure. I will not
pretend to say how we ought to estimate this time, in millions
or in billions of years. For my purpose, the determination of
its absolute duration is wholly unessential. But that the time
was enormous there can be no question.

It results from the simplest methods of interpretation, that
leaving out of view certain patches of metamorphosed rocks, and
certain volcanic products, all that is now dry land has once
been at the bottom of the waters. It is perfectly certain that,
at a comparatively recent period of the world's history--the
Cretaceous epoch--none of the great physical features which at
present mark the surface of the globe existed. It is certain
that the Rocky Mountains were not. It is certain that the
Himalaya Mountains were not. It is certain that the Alps and the
Pyrenees had no existence. The evidence is of the plainest
possible character and is simply this:--We find raised up on the
flanks of these mountains, elevated by the forces of upheaval