THEORY of the EARTH. 293 



moft delicate flower ; for, in this way, naturalifts have deter- 

 mined, -according to the Linnaean fyftem, the fpecies, or at 

 leaft the genus, of the plant. Thus, the exiftence of a vegeta- 

 ble fyftem at the period now in contemplation, fo far from be- 

 ing doubtful, is a matter of phyfical demonftration. 



THE profufion of this vegetable matter, delivered into the 

 ocean, which then generated land, is alfo evidenced in the 

 amazing quantities of mineral coal, which is to be found in 

 perhaps every region of the earth. 



NOTHING can be more certain, than that all the coaly or bi- 

 tuminous ftrata have had their origin from the fubflance of ve- 

 getable bodies that grew upon the land. Thofe ftrata, though, 

 in general, perfectly c'onfolidated, often feparate horizontally in 

 certain places j and there we find the fibrous or vafcular ftruc- 

 ture of die vegetable bodies. Confequently, there is no doubt 

 of foflil coal being a fubftance of vegetable production, how- 

 ever animal fubftances alfo may have contributed in forming 

 this collection of oleaginous or inflammable matter. 



HAVING thus afcertained the ftate of a former earth, in 

 which plants and animals had lived, as well as the gradual pro- 

 duction of the prefent earth, compofed from the materials of 

 a former world, it muft be evident, that here are two opera- 

 tions which are neceflarily confecutive. The formation of the 

 prefent earth neceflarily involves the deftruction of continents 

 in the ancient world , and, by purfuing in our mind the natu- 

 ral operations of a former earth, we clearly fee the origin of 

 that landj by the fertility of which, we, and all the animated 

 bodies of the fea, are fed. It is in like manner, that, contemplating 

 the prefent operations of the globe, we may perceive the actual 

 exiftence of thofe productive caufes, which are now laying the 

 foundation of land in the unfathomable regions of the fea, and 

 which will, in time, give birth to future continents. 



BUT though, in generalizing the operations of nature, we 

 have arrived at thofe great events, which, at firft fight, may 



fill 



