2 9 6 7" HE ORY of the EAR ? H. 



OUR land has two extremities ; the tops of the mountains, on 

 the one hand, and the fea-fhores, on the other : It is the interme- 

 diate fpace between thefe two, that forms the habitation of 

 plants and animals. While there is a fea-fhore and a higher 

 ground, there is that which is required in the fyftem of the 

 world : Take thefe away, and there would remain an aqueous 

 globe, in which the world would perifh. But, in the natural 

 operations of the world, the land is perilhing continually ; and 

 this is that which now we want to underftand. 



UPON the one extremity of our land, there is no increafe, 

 or there is no acceflion of any mineral fubftance. That place 

 is the mountain-top, on which nothing is obferved but conti- 

 nual decay. The fragments of the mountain are removed in 

 a gradual fucceffion from the higheft flation to the lowed. Be- 

 ing arrived at the fhore, and having entered the dominion of 

 the waves, in which they find perpetual agitation, thefe hard 

 fragments, which had eluded the refolving powers natural to 

 the furface of the earth, are incapable of refilling the powers 

 here employed for the definition of the land*. By the attri- 

 tion of one hard body upon another, the moving ftones and 

 rocky fhore, are mutually impaired. And that folid mafs, 

 which of itfelf had potential {lability againfl the violence of 

 the waves, affords the inflruments ,of its own deflrudlion, and 

 thus gives occafion to its aclual inflability. 



IN order to underftand the fyflem of the heavens, it is ne- 

 ceflary to connect together periods of meafured time, and the 

 diflinguifhed places of revolving bodies. It is thus that fyflem 

 may be obferved, or wifdom, in the proper adapting of powers 

 to an intention. In like manner, we cannot underftand the 

 fyftem of the globe, without feeing that progrefs of things 

 which is brought about in time, thus meafuring the natural 

 operations of the earth with thofe of the heavens. This is pro- 

 perly the bufinefs of the prefent undertaking. 



OUR 



