THEORT of the EARTH. 291 



IT is the nature of animal life to be ultimately fupported 

 from matter of vegetable production. Inflammable matter 

 may be confidered as the pabulum of life. This is prepared in 

 the bodies of living plants, particularly in their leaves expofed 

 to the fun and light This inflammable matter, on the contra- 

 ry, is confumed in animal bodies, where it produces heat or 

 light, or both. Therefore, however animal matter, or the pa- 

 bulum of life, may circulate through a feries of digefting 

 powers, it is conftantly impaired or diminishing in the courfe 

 of this ceconomy, and, without the productive power of plants, 

 it would finally be extinguifhed. 



THE animals of the former world muft have been fuftained 

 during indefinite fucceflions of ages. The mean quantity of 

 animal matter, therefore, muft have been preferved by vege- 

 table production, and the natural wafte of inflammable fub- 

 ftance repaired with continual addition , that is to fay, the 

 quantity of inflammable matter necefTary to the animal con- 

 fumption, muft have been provided by means of vegetation. 

 Hence we muft conclude, that there had been a world of 

 plants, as well as an ocean repleniflied with living animals. 



WE are now, in reafoning from principles, come to a point 

 decifive of the queftion, and which will either confirm the 

 theory, if it be juft, or confute our reafoning, if we have erred. 

 Let us, therefore, open the book of Nature, and read in her 

 records, if there had been a world bearing plants, at the time 

 when this prefent world was forming at the bottom of the fea. 



HERE the cabinets of the curious are to be examined ; but 

 here fome caution is required, in order to diftinguifh things 

 perfectly different, which fometimes are confounded. 



FOSSIL WOOD, to naturalifts in general, is wood dug up 

 from under ground, without enquiring whether this had been 

 the production of the prefent earth, or that which had preceded 

 it in the circulation of land and water. The queftion is im- 

 portant, and the folution of it is, in general, eafy. The vege- 



O o 2 table 



