226 THEORY of the EARTH. 



neral laws, by which this operation mufl have been conduced. 

 Therefore, knowing thofe general laws, and making juft ob- 

 fervations with regard to the natural appearances of thofe con- 

 folidated mafTes, a philofopher, in his clofet, mould be able to 

 determine, what may, and what may not have been tranfacted 

 in the bowels of the earth, or below the bottom of the ocean. 



LET us now endeavour to afcertain what may have been the 

 power of water, acting under fixed circumftances, operating 

 upon known fub fiances, and conducting to a certain end. 



THE action of water upon all different fubftances is an ope- 

 ration with which we are familiar. We have it in our power 

 to apply water in different degrees of heat for the folution of 

 bodies, and under various degrees of compreffion j confequent- 

 ly, there is no reafon to conclude any thing myflerious in the 

 operations of the globe, which are to be performed by means 

 of water, unlefs an immenfe compreffing power mould alter the 

 nature of thofe operations. But compreffion alters the relation 

 of evaporation only with regard to heat, or it changes the de- 

 gree of heat which water may be made to contain j confequent- 

 ly, we are to look for no occult quality in water acting upon 

 bodies at the bottom of the deepeft ocean, more than what can 

 be obferved in experiments which we have it in our power to 



WITH regard again to the effect of time. Though the con- 

 tinuance of time may do much in thofe operations which are 

 extremely flow, where no change, to our obfervation, had ap- 

 peared to take place ; yet, where it is not in the nature of things 

 to produce the change in queftion, the unlimited courfe of time 

 would be no more effectual, than the moment by which we 

 meafure events in our obfervations. 



WATER being the general medium in which bodies collected 

 at the bottom of the fea are always contained, if thofe maffes 

 of collected matter are to be confolidated by folution, it muft 

 be by the diffolution of thofe bodies in that water as a men- 



ftruum, 



