GEOLOGY, 



THE ORIGIN OF SOILS. 

 By F. SMITH. 



AS all the multitudinous things in the world may be traced 

 to a few elements, so there possibly was a time when 

 the world was wholly made up of those elements, under a very 

 few combinations. If, as the geologist asserts, he can read the 

 world's history in the rocks of which it is composed, then there 

 was such a time. That the world does contain its own history 

 is undoubted, and that this history is in a measure decipher- 

 able is as certain ; but that it will ever be read as it was written 

 is altogether improbable, and, indeed, impossible. The record 

 is itself a ruin — a ruin of former records ; the present volumes 

 have been made out of old, their pages have been crossed and 

 recrossed, and some of their characters have become illegible, 

 or confounded together. Only he who has thought deeply upon 

 the subject, and worked extensively among the rocks, can realize 

 the full extent of their obliteration ; only he who has attempted 

 to read that which does remain, can form a just estimate of its 

 comprehensiveness, of its profound superiority to all that man 

 has been able to do or to suggest, in his boldest experiments, 

 and in his deepest philosophy. Yet one can read sufficient to 

 be able to declare how wonderful earth's history has been, and 

 that a human life is far too short fully to comprehend even one 

 of its many pages. It is one of the greatest, as well as one of 

 the highest pleasures, to read such portion of the record as can 

 be discerned, for 



He, the God, the Infinite, 



Gives to the finite mind of man, 

 A ray of omnipresent light, 



Wherewith the mighty work to scan ; 

 And in that light the simple will 



Reads, meekly trembling as it reads, 



