111 Essays on Creation and Geology. the system of nature, and say, that God is its author, to the direct contradiction of Cod's own account of the origin of things which he has given by his servant Moses. The learned in all ages, when not directed by the page of inspiration, have, on the subject of the creation of man, as well as on others, fabricated the most ridiculous stories imaginable. The story of Prometheus forming the first man and woman that were upon the earth with clay, and animating them by means of the fire he had stolen from heaven; seems to be a corrupted tradition of the scripture account of God's forming man of the dust of the ground, and breathing into him the breath of life. But it has not always happened that their fabled stories have contained in them such a vein of truth. Demaillet, in his theory of the earth, conceived the globe to have been covered with water for many thousand years. He supposed that this water gradually retired; that all the terrestrial animals were originally inhabitants of the sea; that man himself began his career as a fish. And he asserts, that it is not uncommon even now, to meet with fishes in the ocean, which are still only half men, but whose descendants will in time become perfect human beings. And what a burlesque upon nature is it, to say with some, that monkeys differ from men only in having a tail; and that they could easily be taught to speak, were it not for their cunning, lest they should be made to do things. One can scarcely think such men serious in what they say; and yet so content do they appear with such a humble origin, that it is to be feared they will aspire to no higher object as their final end. The station allotted to man, according to that test of truth, the Bible, is, blessed be God, very different. His body, which has now become mortal and liable to disease in consequence of sin, according to the scriptures, though formed of the dust, was inspired with the breath or spirit of lives. Not of life simply, but of lives. It is in the plural; and denotes not that life only which animates his mere animal frame, and unites him to this world, and at bis last moments is dissolved with many a struggle; but that life also which connects him with the world of spirits, and which rises su 112 perior to every thing in the present life. By these two kinds of life, man stood as it were in the centre between animal nature and pure intelligence. He is equally allied to both. He is formed not for this world only, but also for that which is to come: not only for a world of matter, but for a world of mind. In this consists his real dignity; by this alone he is raised higher than the other works of God's hands. It is this which enables him to render to his Maker a different kind of homage from the beasts that perish. Thus is man distinguished from all other creatures in this world. On his spiritual or intellectual part is stamped the image of the blessed Creator, which, as we are informed by the apostle, consists in "knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness." It is this that lays the foundation in man for all moral and religious obligation. Other animals are wholly destitute of this principle; they therefore cannot be instructed in morality or religion. But the being, whom God thus created upright, alas! has sought out many sinful inventions. He has fallen from his native dignity. He has lost the shining brightness of his body, the loss of which is called nakedness; and he is now born in the likeness of sinful flesh, (Gen. iii. 7. Rom. viii. 3.) His mind is also alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in him. In short, the great perversion has produced a complete change in man; so that he now differs from what he once was, as much as it is possible for a creature to differ from itself. And if so, surely it is not to be wondered at, that other parts of the creation should undergo a change too. The very earth, we know, was cursed for man's sake. The serpent was doomed to go on his belly, and to lick the dust. The beasts of the field became voracious, and devoured one another, and cast off their allegiance to man. Man himself became liable to affliction, disease, and death. And the whole globe underwent such changes as manifested that the curse of God was upon it. Such were the consequences of the perversion and rebellion of man against the righteous laws of his Maker. Hence many of the effects which the scripture ascribes to sin as their cause, it is to be feared, 113 Essays on Creation and Geology. men have ascribed to other causes; and thus built systems upon principles which have existence no where except in their own minds. But without enlarging in this place, as I have now completed this brief relation of the Mosaic account of the Creation, I would just remark upon the whole, that from the moment of the creation of man, we are no longer to view the universe in an incomplete and half-finished state; but as a vast, complicated, and to us incomprehensible machine now finished and complete, and ready to commence a new series of actions, which new actions, as they relate to this globe, could they be accurately traced, would comprehend all that geological science seems to have any thing to do with. I intend, if I shall continue to prosecute these Essays, to make an attempt at tracing the natural order of some of these actions; but in the mean time I shall proceed with a brief retrospective view of the amazing processes in Creation which we have gone over. As to the origin of Matter, the Mosaic account is the most rational that can be given. Contrast with it any other theory, ancient or modern, and the latter will resemble the mock serpents of the magicians of Egypt, while the former will be like that of Moses swallowing them up. Its order, too, is so admirable, that it bids defiance to human genius to devise a better. It is evidently the result both of Almighty power and of Infinite wisdom. We perceive, first, a foundation laid in the creation of the chaotic matter. We then see one step gradually preparing the way for another, without any precipitancy on the one hand, or unnecessary delay on the other, till the whole is finished. The whole is linked together by a beautiful and orderly chain of events, like a majestic fabric, as it is erected by the hand of Omnipotence, who is possessed equally of wisdom to devise, and power to execute; and who could never be retarded in the prosecution of his plan from want of means to carry it through, as sometimes happens with man. Nay, the last part is so intimately connected with the first, and all the intermediate parts so support and hang upon each other, that the whole may be compared to a mighty arch, of which the sun of each system is the centre or key; and therefore, | 114 while the sun holds his place in the heavens, the whole must stand. Indeed, nothing, nothing can exceed the beautiful order, the gradual evolution, the astonishing contrivance of infinite wisdom in this mighty work. In this unparalleled process, we behold, but in a grander and more majestic form than any thing to which that author applies them-THE THREE UNITIES of Lord Kames, namely, a work in its Commencement--Progress--and Completion! But how stupendous the work! A universe of materials created in a day! and ordered and arranged to answer a grand final end in six days! when the whole august machine is set a going, in such a complicated, yet simple manner, that we know not which most to admire. How little and diminutive, how infinitely short of this glorious account, does the slow, inert, and circuitous method of geologists, in regard to the formation of the world, come? There is something grand and effective in the relation of Moses; and it evidently carries such a vein of truth in its front, that, properly speaking, the work of Creation cannot be conceived in another manner. Every sentence, I had almost said every word, is significant, and big with meaning.—“ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said: Let there be light, and there was light. Let there be an expansion in the midst of the Chaotic Matter, to divide it into separate portions, &c. and immediately it is effected. Let there be waters formed, and let them be collected into their natural reservoirs, and let dry and concrete parts appear; and this also is done without delay. Let the earth bring forth grass, and herbs, and trees, and plants of all kinds; and immediately they spring forth. Let there be lights in the expansion of the heavens; and immediately two great lights in relation to this earth, and stars innumerable, begin to shine."-Well, what then? Are they to shine for no purpose, and spend the morning of their strength in vain? Far be it. "For thus saith Jehovah who created the heavens, the Aleim himself that formed the earth, and made it, He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited."-(Isa. xlv. 18.) Therefore, saith the Lord, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may 115 Sal Ammoniac.-Volcanoes of Tartary. 116 fly above the earth, in the open expan-ginally manufactured in Egypt, by sion of heaven. Let the earth bring sublimate from the soot of fuel, formforth the living creature after its kind, ed of the dung of phyticeorous anicattle and creeping things, and beast of mals, but for the last sixty years it has the earth after its kind," and immedi- been superseded by the preparation ately they are produced. Up start from bones. Now, whether the native great whales, and other wonders of Sal Ammoniac, produced from these the deep; land animals, crawling rep- volcanoes, which appear to have been tiles, and fowls of the air. Yea, man hitherto unknown, is not superior and himself is immediately created, bless- of greater efficacy than the spurious ed, and enjoined to be fruitful and product, must be the province of the multiply, that the earth may be filled chemist to determine. The only with inhabitants, and all things put question is, if sufficient quantities to their proper use. "For by the could be procured to supply the Euroword of the Lord were the heavens pean markets, and if the distance, with made, and all the host of them by the other contingencies, would not bar the breath of his mouth. He spake, and it possibility of a regular supply at a was done; he commanded, and it stood rate to cope with the prices of the fast." (Psa. xxxiii. 6, 9.) He needed spurious article. It may be of some simply to say, Let this, let that, and importance to the medical practitioner the other thing, be, and instantly they and practical chemist, to become acquainted with the facts here disclosed, as I presume they are not generally known; which has induced me to offer the insertion for the information of your numerous readers. were. This is like Creation! These are like the operations of Him who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working: Of Him who needs but to speak, and it is done; to command, and it stands fast! With such a noble, majestic, and God-like process in our 'eye, we feel quite ashamed, so much as again to mention the paltry and senseless process of the geologists. Instead of a Creation!-theirs is something like a company of thoughtless children making clutch parrach, - as little urchins sometimes do. Edinburgh, Nov. 23, 1820. Sal Ammoniac. MR. EDITOR, SIR,-If the following curious information, taken from the "Journal of the Sciences of the Arts," should be thought sufficiently interesting to obtain a place in your valuable Miscellany, it is at your service.. Bermondsey-square. W. H. VOLCANOES OF TARTARY, M. ABEL REMUSAT, in a letter to M. Louis Cordier, relating to the origin of the Sal Ammoniac, obtained by the Calmucs, and by them distributed through Asia, quotes the following passage from the Japanese edition of the Chinese Encyclopædia, in the king's library, which not only describes the source of this salt, but also two active volcanoes in the interior of Tartary. The salt named (in China) nao-cha, and also salt of Tartary, and volatile salt, is obtained from two volcanic mountains in Central Tartary. One is the volcano of Tourfan,* which has given to this town (or rather to a town three leagues to the east of Tourfan,) the name of Ho-Tcheou, or town of Fire; the other is the white mountain in the country of Bisch-Balikh. These two mountains continually emit flame and smoke. There are cavities in them, in which a greenish liquid collects, which when exposed to air changes into salt, which is the noa-cha: the people of The article Sal Ammoniac there described, appears to be collected from the two volcanic mountains, in very considerable quantities, at least we may presume so from the statement of its distribution through the Asiatic quarter of the globe. Sal Ammoniac as described in Thomson's last edition of the London Dispensatory, is produced in small quantities from volcanoes; but the article under that name, used by chemists throughout Europe, is artificially produced from the bones of animals. It was ori-Balgasch is 46. long. 11. according to P. Gaubil. *Lat. 43. 30. long. 87. 11. according to P. Gaubil. A town situated on the river Hi, to the S. W. of the lake of Balgasch, which the Chinese name the Hot Sea. The latitude of the lake 117 Christianity in China.-Harvest Home. the country collect it for the preparation of leather. A column of smoke may be continually seen coming from the Tourfan, which in the night is replaced by a flame similar to that of a flambeau. Birds and other animals illuminated by ii, appear of a red colour. The mountain is called the Hill of Fire. Sabots or wooden shoes are worn by those who collect the nao-cha, for shoes of leather would be soon burnt. The people of the neighbourhood also collect the mother-waters, which they boil in vessels, and obtain from them the sal ammoniac in lumps or loaves like that of common salt; the whitish nao-cha is considered the best. The nature of the salt is very penetrating; it is suspended in a stove to make it very dry, and ginger is added to it, to preserve it. Exposed to cold or to moisture, it deliquesces and is lost. M. Remusat adds in his observations, that it is a curious fact, and very little known, that there are two volcanoes actually in combustion in the central regions of Asia, 400 leagues from the Caspian, which is the nearest sea to them. CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA. A CASE is recorded in a recent number of the Chinese Gleaner, of a noble Tartar family of the Imperial kindred, being suspected of having some persons among them, who had received the Portuguese or European religion, the report of which was carried to the Emperor. His Majesty in reply observed, that the suspected person had long since recanted and trodden on the cross, and that nothing more was necessary. He, however, ordered that the images and crosses which still existed, should be burnt, or otherwise destroyed. HARVEST HOME.-BY BECKER. FARMER Hardman did not only know when to sow and when to reap; he had reflected on his situation in life, and he had accustomed himself to derive from it all the advantages it would afford. No wonder, therefore, that his moderate paternal inheritance had prospered under his hands, and that he now passed for one of the wealthiest men in his neighbourhood. Wallendorf was an excellent estate, 118 and he knew how to make the best of it, without injuring the owner. Young Meinhold was at once his pupil and his assistant; and as dame Hardman liked the youth as much for his regular conduct and good manners, as her husband esteemed him for his activity and intelligence, he had been long treated as a son, rather than as a stranger. An only daughter, in whom beauty, innocence, and goodness of heart, were most happily united, was, however, justly the darling of the parents, although their love had not degenerated into idolatry: they had brought up their child in the same manner in which they had been educated themselves: Rose was the right hand of her mother, and shared with her every domestic toil. The garden was under her particular inspection, and she took great delight in keeping it in good order. Meinhold, although fully occupied with his own business, could yet not resist the pleasure of helping, now and then, the lovely girl in her favourite task; he never missed an opportunity to add fresh plants or rare flowers to her collection; and he would often forget his fatigue over her friendly prattle, and set to work again after the labours of the field were over. The young folks had grown up together like brother and sister, and Rose became every day more attractive: this had been particularly observed by the Steward of the estate, who was at once a lawyer and a justice: he appeared to be as much alive to the daughter's charms, as he was conscious of the father's wealth; and Meinhold, who had never thought of such an occurrence before, became now all at once aware of what he was on the eve of losing. Circumstances had placed a great distance betwixt him and such a rival, who began to be very earnest in his courtship, and whom the parents did so little discourage, that they not only drew out hints about the motive of his visits, but actually laid in stocks of linen and other goods, which might befit the dowry of their only child. Meinhold perceived all this with a heavy heart, but without being remiss in his duty; he took as much care as ever for the welfare of the family, although he saw plainly, that an alteration must soon take place. It was not indeed very long before Rose was pointedly asked, what she thought of the Steward for a husband? she avoided giving a decisive answer, and ran all in tears to the friend of her youth, whose hands dropped motionless at the hearing of the news. He gave for some time vent to his feelings; but recollected himself at last, and represented to the afflicted maiden, that they had, in fact, no right to complain, since the match was unobjectionable, and such a one as few families would decline. Rose offered, nevertheless, to bring over her parents by way of entreaties, and by declaring that she would never marry any other man but him: much would most likely have been said yet on both sides, but they were interrupted by a suppressed cough, which issued from an outbuilding; and for a considerable time after, they were severally so much taken with the performance of their respective duty, that no private meeting could be arranged. The occasion for this particular engagement, and the general vivacity on the farm, was the approaching Harvest Feast, which Hardman had always celebrated in a splendid manner, but for which, he invited now more guests and made greater preparations than ever. Cattle had been fattened on purpose; the cellar was unusually well filled, and for nearly a fortnight nothing else had been talked of, but the arrangements which were to take place. Dame Hardman went very cheerfully through her business; but Rose did not delight in her's, as in former years her father, on the contrary, was full of life and spirit, and one might easily perceive, that the days passed on too slowly for his wishes; he moved and removed nearly every thing in the house, and came, quite against his custom, to look at what was going on in the pantry and kitchen, as if afraid that something might be forgotten, or not be made rich and good enough. Meinhold did not blame the good man; but he could have wished not to be made a witness to these doings: he had actually solicited for leave of absence, or even a total dismission; because his master had indeed bestowed on him all due praise for past services, and accompanied his speech with a very handsome present; but 120 he had given him to understand at the same time, that he was now of an age to look out for his own home, and that with his acquired knowledge, and a little assistance from a friend, he would be able to get on in the world. The young man had taken this as a civil way of turning him off; and putting on the best face he could, he had offered to set out immediately, and to see what he might be able to begin: but Hardman replied, that he could not well spare him yet, and wanted him at any rate to stop during the Feast. The feared and expected morning broke on: the mother covered some of the tables with cups and saucers, whilst the father busied himself with placing on others the various cakes and rolls. Rose had quite enough to do with herself, and could not get on at all, because, in her anxiety and agitation, she always dropped one thing, whilst she was taking up another. Meinhold had gathered the fruit from some favourite trees, and separating the nicest for the particular use of his beloved, he brought her the produce of his labour, and added, with a sigh, that it was for the last time; but she shook her head, and silently pressing his hand, she hastened from him to hide her tears. A stylish rider made now his appearance, and lo! it was the Steward; coaches full of townspeople soon followed, and then the neighbours, on horse and on foot. All were friendly received, but none more so than Meinhold's mother, who had been sent for without her son's knowledge. The prepared refreshments were then put into quick circulation, whilst much was said about trouble and honour, nice cakes and fine weather; until a third ringing of the church bells gave the signal for departure. Meinhold was a pious youth, and could generally repeat the best part of the sermon on a Sunday afternoon; but this time he had completely forgotten it, although it was praised by every one for its shortness. The clergyman and family joined after the service was over, and the company enjoyed a short walk through the highly cultivated fields and well-stocked orchards of the farm. Dinner was ready to be served, when the young Baron came galloping into the yard, and invited himself |