THE GLACIAL AGE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—It would have been fairer to me and to your readers if Mr. Murphy, before writing on my views in regard to the glacial age, had consulted what I actually said in my recently published book, instead of criticising one sentence in your review condensing the results of a long chapter. That sen- tence very fairly states one of my conclusions ; but I go a great deal further. It is not a question of whether a glacial period was due to a cold summer, or a cold winter at a par- ticular juncture in the waning or waxing eccentricity of the earth's orbit, which is really at issue. I claim to have shown that no amount of possible variation in the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, and no amount of pos- sible variation in the inclination of its axis, or both combined, can have produced a glacial period, and I have quoted the arguments and conclusions of the most highly gifted astrono- mers in support of the position, including the careful conclu- sions of Mr. Meech, who devoted a special investigation to the subject. He concludes most emphatically that no astrono- mical cause is competent to have produced such a glacial con- dition. This being the issue, what is the use of elaborating all kinds of futile and ingenious puzzles as to whether a cold summer or a cold winter in aphelion is to be preferred ? It is not an alternative conclusion which has to be selected, but the whole postulate has to be justified.
Not only so, but Mr. Murphy must also meet the fact, which is unquestionable and unquestioned, that the so-called glacial phenomena are not circumpolar, but are only found in one half of the Polar area,namely, that included between the- River Mackenzie on the west, and the White Sea on the east,. and there is very strong reason to believe that over the Polar area itself there were mild and not severe conditions during• the so-called glacial age in Europe. This is absolutely incon- sistent with the glaciation having been caused by astronomical changes, and completely takes away the basis of such trans- cendental speculations as Croll's, or such exceedingly crude- ones as are embodied in Sir IL Ball's extraordinary book recently published on the cause of an ice-age, which has been so pulverised, that it is a curious thing that either the author of the book or the editor of the series has not withdrawn or justified it.
The mischief caused by immature and misleading specula- tions being presented to the great crowd who are neither astronomers nor geologists, by men bearing well-known names., or occupying well-known official posts in science, can hardly be exaggerated ; and it seems to me, when their work has been criticised, and their conclusions repudiated by the great majority of competent judges, that they ought either to justify or qualify, or withdraw them.—I am, Sir, &c., HENRY H. HOWORTH.
Clife Hotel, St. Margaret at Clife, Dover, August 18th.
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