this difficulty by supposing the earth to have been originally fluid. But this is arguing in a circle: for if we desire them to prove this original fluidity, they will do it by the spheroidal figure of the earth: and if the cause of the spheroidal figure is required, they refer us to the original fluidity. This difficulty, therefore, is inexplicable on this Theory, and probably on any other. It must, no doubt, be referred to the Will of God. It may be observed here, that what the earth loses of its spherical or globous figure by mountains and vales, is nothing considerable: The highest eminence upon the earth being scarce equivalent to the smallest protuberance on the surface of an orange. The diameter of the earth is supposed to be 7967 miles, the greater diameter, viz. that at the Equator, exceeding the less, which is from pole to pole, about thirty four miles.

There are many other difficulties, which no theory yet invented can account for. For instance, in many places, such as the isthmus of Darien, a narrow neck of land is interposed betwixt two vast oceans. These beat upon it on either side with vast force yet the isthmus is never broke down or diminished. The case is the same with the isthmus of Suez, which joins Asia and Africa, and with that which joins the Morea or ancient Peloponesus to the continent. The difficulty is by what natural power, or law, are these narrow necks of land preserved amidst the waters, which threaten them on both sides with destruction?

Again the surface of the earth is by no means smooth and equal; but in some places raised into enormous ridges of mountains, and in others sunk down in such a manner as to form deep valleys. These mountains, though they have been exposed to all the injuries of the weather for many thousand years, exhibit no signs of decay. They still continue of the same size as before, though vast quantities of earth are frequently washed down from them by rains, which, together with the force of gravity, tending to level and bring them on an equality with the plains on which they stand, we might reasonably think, ought by this time to have rendered them smaller than before. Now, what Theory can assign any proper, natural cause whereby the mountains were originally formed, and through which they preserve their size without any remarkable diminution?

Further: The internal parts of the earth are still more wonderful than the external. The utmost industry of man, indeed, can penetrate but a little way into it. As far as we can reach, however, it is found to be composed of dissimilar strata, lying one upon another, not commonly in an horizontal direction,

but inclined to the horizon at different angles. These strata seem not to be disposed either according to the laws of gravity, or acording to their density. but, as it were, by chance. Besides, in the internal parts of the earth are vast chasms and vacuities. By what means were these strata originally deposited, the fissures and chasms, &c. made?

Once more: In many places of the earth, both on the surface, and at great depths under it, vast quantities of marine productions, such as shells, &c. are to be met with. Sometimes these shells are found in the midst of solid rocks of marble and limestone. In the very heart of the hardest stones, also, small vegetable substances, as leaves, &c. are to be found. The question is, by what means were they brought thither?

These are some of the most striking difficulties which present themselves to one who undertakes to write a Natural History, or Theory of the Earth.

In the terraqueous globe are 1. The external part, from which vegetables grow, and animals are nourished. 2. The middle part, which is possessed by fossils, and extends further than human labour can penetrate. 3. The internal, of which we know nothing, the deepest cavities, natural or artificial, known to us, scarce penetrating a mile below the surface.

In the external part we meet with various strata, formed, as is generally supposed, by the deluge. The exterior parts of the earth were then dissolved, and mixed with the water, in one common mass. Afterwards they sunk ; but not always according to the laws of gravity, for which very sufficient reasons may be assigned. Every one who has had an opportunity of seeing the effects of a violent land flood, will be ready to own, that it has performed things which he would not before-hand have thought it possible it could have done. But how infinitely must these effects have been exceeded by one vast deluge, in which not only the dry land was softened, and even dissolved, by an incessant rain of six weeks and that so violent, that Moses describes it by saying "the windows of heaven were opened;" but all "the fountains of the great deep were broken up" from beneath, and the immense collection of waters, then in the bowels of the earth, issued forth, while the sea rose on all sides, and poured in upon it, with all its moveable contents, which the waters carried along with them. That great numbers of shells, already formed, would be brought along with the waters of the ocean cannot be doubted; and we shall be inclined to lock on this number as exceeding great, if we consider that, by the waters issuing from the bottom of the ocean, as well as from every pore of the earth: all the light bodies at the bottom of the sea, must have been turned topsy-turvy, and carried up no one can

found in the stone at Redruth in Cornwall, from the petrified skull mentioned by Dr. Plott, and many others; of which we shall mention the following from Mr. Whitehurst. The strata of limestone, in Derbyshire, and in many other parts of England, abound with the exuviæ of marine animals, or the impressions of them in the solid substance of the stone; and we have likewise several instances, related by authors, of the bones of terrestrial animals, and also of wood, having been found enveloped in strata of stone. A complete human skeleton, with British beads, chains, iron rings, brass bits of bridles, was dug up in a stone quarry near the earl of Widdrington's seat at Blanknay in Lincolnshire. Human bones and armour, with Roman coins, fibulæ, &c. were found in a stone pit in the park at Hustanton in Norfolk, supposed to have been buried after a battle. In the mountain of Canne, half a league from Maestricht, were found the remains of a crocodile well preserved in a stratum of sand stone. The remains of a crocodile were also found in a stratum of stone at Blenheim. The beds of argillaceous stone, &c. incumbent on coal, also contains a great variety of figured fossils representing different parts of the vegetable creation.

From these examples, it is plain, that the lapidescent power, which the earth possesses, is capable of incrusting bodies with stone to an unknown thickness. In whatever situation, therefore, we find those fossil bodies, we have no reason to say that the Deluge is not ultimately the cause of their being there; because its power in overspreading the earth with them, in burying them in it, or forcing them into clefts and caverns, is altogether unknown: And before it is denied that the Deluge could be the cause of such appearances, it is necessary to show all that it really could do, which is evidently impossible; so that here our speculations must ultimately rest.

We shall only add one other fact which must certainly have taken place at the deluge. At that time the world is generally thought to have been very full of inhabitants. These as well as all the inferior animals, would naturally flee from the approaching danger. This would assemble them in great numbers in such places as appeared to afford security; and here they would all perish together. This will account for the vast heaps of bones found in certain parts of the world, as in the rock of Gibraltar, Dalmatia, &c. and the natural petrifactive power of the earth may account for their consolidation. The slaughters which mankind have made of one another may indeed account for many of these appearances. When we read in history of 40,000, 50,000, or 100,000 men killed in a battle, we never think of the space their bones would occupy when

accumulated in clefts of rocks, in hollows, vallies, and caves; and have been there consolidated by petrifaction, and the growth of calcareous matter over them. And that something familiar to this happens in fact, we are very certain. Mr. Whitehurst informs us, that "the springs of Matlock, in Derbyshire, though extremely pellucid and friendly to the human constitution, are, nevertheless, plentifully saturated with calcareous matter, which readily adheres to vegetables, and other substances immersed in the stream; and thus, by a constant accretion, large masses of stone are gradually formed. The banks on which the bath houses stand, and likewise the buildings themselves, are mostly composed of such materials "-Now had these waters directed their course over a bed of shells, through a burying-place, or over a field of battle, it is evident, that they would have enclosed a great number of shells, human. and horse bones, heads of lances, swords, or even the more modern weapons of guns and pistols; which to a curious naturalist, might have furnished an argument for the antiquity of these latter weapons. If, therefore, we see at this day that bodies may be so easily imbedded in stone, why should we pretend to set bounds to the petrifactions which may have happened in the course of more than 4000 years? A period far beyond the reach of our most ancient histories.

It was not meant, by what we observed in our last Number, to explain all the appearances of fossil shells, or bones, &c. from the Deluge as the general cause. This cannot be done unless we knew all the circumstances. The following facts, however, may be looked upon as authenticated. 1. That when the water overwhelmed the land, great numbers of marine animals were carried along with it. 2. That, during its continuance, most of those which have any loco-motive power would choose rather to dwell over land, where the water was comparatively shallow, than in places which had formerly been their residence. 3. That while the waters remained on the earth, all kinds of marine animals would breed over land, in their natural way; and such as could not follow the waters in their retreat, would be left to die on dry land, which must have been the case particularly with shell-fish. 4. These impotent animals, which have little or no power of loco-motion, would, by the pressure of a column of water four miles high, be buried to depths unknown. 5. After the retreat of the waters, those which had been lodged in hollows or clefts, or perhaps diffused thro' the substance of many soft strata, might by some petrifying quality in the stratum, be so consolidated along with it as afterwards to form one entire rock. This is evident, not only from the example of the Matlock springs, but more so from that of the pins

found in the stone at Redruth in Cornwall, from the petrified skull mentioned by Dr. Plott, and many others; of which we shall mention the following from Mr. Whitehurst. The strata of limestone, in Derbyshire, and in many other parts of England, abound with the exuviæ of marine animals, or the impressions of them in the solid substance of the stone; and we have likewise several instances, related by authors, of the bones of terrestrial animals, and also of wood, having been found enveloped in strata of stone. A complete human skeleton, with British beads, chains, iron rings, brass bits of bridles, was dug up in a stone quarry near the earl of Widdrington's seat at Blanknay in Lincolnshire. Human bones and armour, with Roman coins, fibulæ, &c. were found in a stone pit in the park at Hustanton in Norfolk, supposed to have been buried after a battle. In the mountain of Canne, half a league from Maestricht, were found the remains of a crocodile well preserved in a stratum of sand stone. The remains of a crocodile were also found in a stratum of stone at Blenheim. The beds of argillaceous stone, &c. incumbent on coal, also contains a great variety of figured fossils representing different parts of the vegetable creation.

From these examples, it is plain, that the lapidescent power, which the earth possesses, is capable of incrusting bodies with stone to an unknown thickness. In whatever situation, therefore, we find those fossil bodies, we have no reason to say that the Deluge is not ultimately the cause of their being there; because its power in overspreading the earth with them, in burying them in it, or forcing them into clefts and caverns, is altogether unknown: And before it is denied that the Deluge could be the cause of such appearances, it is necessary to show all that it really could do, which is evidently impossible; so that here our speculations must ultimately rest.

We shall only add one other fact which must certainly have taken place at the deluge. At that time the world is generally thought to have been very full of inhabitants. These as well as all the inferior animals, would naturally flee from the approaching danger. This would assemble them in great numbers in such places as appeared to afford security; and here they would all perish together. This will account for the vast heaps of bones found in certain parts of the world, as in the rock of Gibraltar, Dalmatia, &c. and the natural petrifactive power of the earth may account for their consolidation. The slaughters which mankind have made of one another may indeed account for many of these appearances. When we read in history of 40,000, 50,000, or 100,000 men killed in a battle, we never think of the space their bones would occupy when