to explain the manner in which our globe was created, and furnished with every thing neceffary for its inhabitants. In confequence of which, hypothefes and fpeculations have been too much indulged, and many whimsical theories established, on no better foundation than the opinion or fancy of a vivid and fruitful imagination.

This fagacious inquirer has confined himfelf wholly to facts, and the appearances which nature herself affords; and by judiciously attending to them, and viewing them in all the various lights in which they were capable of being placed, has thence deduced fuch conclufions only as are ftrictly confiftent with reafony So that this work is widely different from the extravagant theories of former writers on the subject.

What were the inducements which firft led our Author to apply himself to the confideration of this fubject, he has candidly imparted to us in the preface.

Amidst all the apparent confufion and diforder of the Arata, fays Mr. W. there is, nevertheless, one conftant invariable order in their arrangement, and of their various productions of animal, vegetable, and mineral fubftances, or rather the figures and impreffions of the two former. Thefe fingular appearances, together with the numerous craggy rocks, cliffs, mountains, fubterraneous caverns, and many other phenomena, being conftantly prefented to my obfervation, excited my attention very early in life to inquire into the various causes of them; not altogether with a view to investigate the formation of the earth, but to obtain fuch a competent Knowledge of fubterraneous geography, as might become fubfervient to the purposes of human life, by leading mankind to the discovery of many valuable fubftances which lie concealed in the lower regions of the earth. Such were the motives which prompted me to engage in fubterraneous researches; and I flatter myfelf, that the facts I have obtained from my own obfervations, and collected from many experienced miners, may intitle the following pages to a serious and candid examination.'

Mr. Whitehurst fets out with fhewing, that the component parts of the earth were, at the first period of its exiftence, in a fluid ftate; which he plainly deduces from the present spheroidical figure of the globe, firft determined by the fagacity of the immortal Newton, and afterwards confirmed by actual meafurements made at the equator and polar circles. In this fluid ftate, the component parts of the globe were in uniform fufpen- ^ fion, and compofed one general undivided mafs, or pulp, of equal confiftence and famenefs throughout, which conftituted what the ancients called Chaos.

It is a matter of very curious inquiry to examine how the ansients came to the knowledge of a chaos. This has led our Author into a little digreffion, wherein he endeavours to fhew, that, at fome very remote period of time, the doctrines of our pre

fent

fent philofophy were well understood. His arguments for this thought are ingenious, and maintained upon very probable grounds.

It is evident, from the fmall fcraps which have been handed down to us, that the learning of the ancients was very confiderable, more especially in the fciences of aftronomy and geometry; the latter of which must have been brought by them to a very advanced ftate indeed, fince its principles have evidently been ftrictly followed in various practical arts, particularly in architecture, as is fufficiently apparent in the conftruction of the pyramids, and other pieces of, antiquity to be met with in Egypt, much older than any written monuments which have been handed down to us. Mathematical knowledge being the bafis and foundation of all true phyfical inquiries, there is little room to doubt but that it was applied to them by the ancients in a manner fimilar to the method made ufe of by modern philofophers. It is impoffible that the doctrine of the chaos could have been handed down by tradition, as mankind were not eye wit neffes of it; and there are no other principles known from whence the idea of fuch a ftate could have been obtained, except gravitation and centrifugal force. Such are the outlines of Mr. W.'s arguments for fupporting his opinion on this fubject; nor can we in the leaft hesitate to acknowledge, that the ancients were much more learned than is generally believed.

The component parts of this chaos are demonftrated to have been heterogeneous, as to their principle of elective attraction, and to have acted upon one another according to their respective affinities; yet every particle, and the whole compound in general, was fubject to the influence or force of gravitation, as an inherent property in all matter whatever. By the action of these two principles the feparation of the chaos was effected; the fimilar parts of the blended pulp, by their mutual élective attractions, came together, and began to compofe bodies of various denominations; the particles of air united with those of air, water with water, and earth with earth. The uniform fufpenfion of the component parts, which had hitherto prevailed throughout the chaotic mafs, being deftroved by the union of fimilar fubftances, bodies of the greateft denfity began their approach toward the center of gravity, and thofe of the greatest levity ascended toward the furface. Since the fpecific gravity of air to water is very small, the former became freed from the general mass much fooner than the latter, and furrounded the globe with a muddy impure atmosphere. The process of feparation ftill going on, the earth confolidated more and more, continually toward the center, and the furface became gradually more and more covered with water, until the fea prevailed univerfally over the earth. Thus by the union of fimilar particles, the atmosphere and the

3

ocean

ocean were first feparated from the general mafs in fucceffive periods of time, and were progreffively freed from all impurities, and rendered perfectly fit for the habitation of animals.

Having demonftrated that the whole planetary fyftem must have been formed at the fame inftant, our Author proceeds with observing, that: the influence of the fun and moon must neceffarily interfere with the regular and uniform fubfiding of the component parts of the chaos; and as the feparation of the folids and fluids increased, fa the tides would increase and remove the folids from place to place, and the fea would become unequally deep; and thefe inequalities daily increafing, the dry land would gradually appear in various plices, and divide the waters which had hitherto prevailed univerfally. Thefe appearances of land our Author calls the Primitive lands, which being formed by the flux and reflux of the tides, like fand banks, could not acquire any confiderable extent or elevation, but were uniform protuberances afcending from the deep, which in process of time became firm and dry, and every way fit for the reception of ani mals and vegetables.

The confideration that the fea was feparated from the chaos before the primitive iflands were formed, and that feveral foffil marine animals are found imbedded in ftrata of folid ftone and clay, at various depths, and in all parts of the world, indicates that marine animals were prior to the formation of land; and the feveral ftrata of them which we find at this day must have been formed by their being buried in the mud, in confequence of the agitation of the water in forming the primitive iflands.

The prefent ftate, both of the furface and interior parts of the earth, is very different from the account juft given of the uniformity which fo univerfally prevailed. Before Mr. W. fhews us how fo great a change came to pafs, he enumerates, from the teftimony of many ancient and modern writers, the violent effects that have been produced by the action of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. And though the inftances Mr. W. has given us of iflands new formed, and large tracts of countries deftroyed by them, are fufficiently numerous, yet he acknowledges many more might have been produced, to prove the antiquity and powerful effe@s of fubterraneous fire.

By confidering the various phenomena attendant on earthquakes, Mr. W. plainly concludes, that fubterraneous fire, and fteam generated by it, are the true and real caufes of them. The expanfive force of fteam and its elafticity are undoubtedly caufes every way capable of producing the ftupendous effects attributed to them, particularly if the cavities wherein it is generated be perfectly inclofed on every fide, which we evidently find to have been the cafe, in the early ages of the world, with the more central parts of the earth: for by what has been advanced con

cerning

1

cerning the feparation of the chaos, the central parts of the globe muft have been of a much firmer and more compact texture than the fuperficial ones.

After having given us his idea of the generation of fire, our Author proceeds to account for that dreadful catastrophe, the univerfal deluge; and we fhall give it in his own words.

It is a truth univerfally known, that all bodies expand with heat, and that the force or power of that law is unlimited; now as fubter. raneous fire gradually increased, fo in like manner its expanfive force increased, until it became equal to the incumbent weight. Gravity and expansion being equally balanced, and the latter continuing to increafe, every day more and more, became fuperior to the incum. bent weight, and diftended the ftrata as a bladder forcibly blown.

Now if fire thus generated was furrounded by a shell, or cruft, of equal thickness, and of equal denfity, the incumbent weight muft have been equal: on the contrary, if the furrounding fhell, or cruft, was unequally denfe, the incumbent weight muft have been unequal. But fince the primitive islands were protuberances gradually afcending from the deep, the incumbent weight must have been unequal for as the specific gravity of ftone, fand, or mud, is fuperior to that of water, we may thence conclude that the incumbent weight of the former must have been greater than that of the latter.

Now the incumbent weight of the islands being greater than that of the ocean, the bottom of the fea would confequently afcend by the expanfive force below, fooner than the islands. The bottom of the fea being thus elevated, the incumbent water would flow toward the lefs elevated parts, and confequently the islands would become more or lefs deluged, as the bottom of the fea was more or less elevated; and this effect must have been more or lefs universal, as the fire prevailed more or lefs univerfally either in the fame ftratum, or in the central parts of the earth.

But the tragical scene ended not with an univerfal flood, and the deftruction of the terreftrial animals; for the expanfive force of the fubterraneous fire, ftill increasing, became fuperior to the incumbent weight and cohesion of the ftrata, which were then burft, and opened a communication between the two oceans of melted matter and water.

The two elements coming thus into contact, and the latter be coming instantaneously converted into fteam, would produce an explofion infinitely beyond all human conception,

The terraqueous globe being thus burst into millions of fragments, and from a caufe apparently seated nearer to its center than its furface, muft certainly have been thrown into a ftrange heap of ruins; for the fragments of the ftrata thus blown up could not poffibly fall together again into their primitive order and regularity, therefore an infinite number of subterraneous caverns must have enfued, at the distance of many miles, or many hundreds of miles below the bottom of the antediluvian fea.

Now it is eafy to conceive, when a body of fuch an immenfe magnitude as the earth, which is nearly 8000 miles in diameter, was thus reduced to an heap of ruins, that its incumbent water would immediately

immediately defcend into the cavernous parts thereof; and by thus approaching fo much nearer towards the center than in its antediluvian ftate, much of the terreftrial furface became naked and expofed, with all its horrid gulphs, craggy rocks, mountains, and other diforderly appearances.

Thus the primitive state of the earth feems to have been totally metamorphofed by the firft great convulfion of nature at the time of the deluge; its ftrata broken, and thrown into every poffible degree of confusion and diforder. Hence thofe mighty eminences, the Alps, the Andes, the Pyrenean, and all other chains of mountains were brought from beneath the great deep. Hence the fea retiring from thofe vast tracts of land, the continents, became fathomless, and environed with craggy rocks, cliffs, impending fhores, and its bottom fpread over with mountains and vallies like the land.'

Such is the manner in which Mr. W. accounts for the univerfal deluge, which he confirms by numerous obfervations on petrifactions of marine animals, and on the fituations in which they are found.

Marine animals are confidered as having been produced as foon as the ocean was rendered fit for their reception, that is, before the formation of the primitive islands; and fince the generality of them are naturally prolific, they might have increased and multiplied fo exceedingly, in a fhort fpace of time, as to have replenished the ocean from pole to pole; and, confequently, many of them must have been daily enveloped and buried in the mud by the continual action of the tides, particularly fuch of them as were leaft active, being on that account. lefs able to defend or extricate themselves from fuch interments. Foffil fhells, and other marine relics, have been obferved in all parts of the world hitherto explored, even on the highest mountains, in parts very remote from the fea, and in vallies and deep receffes of the earth, bedded in the folid fubftance of chalk, clay, and gravel; but the bones or teeth of fifh are depofited only in beds of fand and gravel, and not in the folid body of the ftone, as the shells are: of thefe the cliffs and caverns in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and almoft every country productive of limeftone, exhibit innumerable inftances. Among the many curious obfervations concerning the fituation of thefe bodies, the three following feem worthy of attention:

The bivalve fpecies are fometimes found with both their fhells entire and clofe as thofe of living fish: and when thus found, each bed confifts of one particular fpecies; namely, oyfters, cockles, mufcles, &c. felected together, as the fame fpecies are actually afsembled in the sea.

But, on the contrary, when beds of foffil fhells are compofed of fragments, or feparate bivalves, they confift of a great variety of fpecies, confufedly blended; in the fame manner as the fragments of fea-fhells are thrown together by the fluctuation of the

ocean.

REV. July, 1786.

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