THEORY of the EARTH. 227 



ftrunm, and by the concretion or cryftallization of this diflblved 

 matter, that the fpaces, firft occupied by water in thofe mafles, 

 are afterwards to be filled with a hard and folid fubflance ; but 

 without fome other power, by which the water contained in 

 thofe cavities and endlefs labyrinths of the flrata, fliould be fe- 

 parated in proportion as it had performed its talk, it is incon- 

 ceivable how thofe mafles, however changed from the ftate of 

 their firft fubfidence, mould be abfolutely confolidated, without 

 a particle of fluid water in their compofition. 



BESIDES this difficulty of having the water feparated from 

 the porous mafles which are to be confolidated, there is another 

 with which, upon this fuppofition, we have to ftruggle. This 

 is, From whence fliould come the matter with which the num- 

 berlefs cavities in thofe mafles are to be filled ? 



THE water in the cavities and interflices of thofe bodies com- 

 pofmg ftrata, muft be in a ftagnating ftate ; consequently, it 

 can only al upon the furfaces of thofe cavities which are to be 

 filled up. But with what are they to be filled ? Not with wa- 

 ter ; they are full of this already : Not with the fubftance of 

 the bodies which contain that water ; this would be only to 

 make one cavity in order to fill up another. If, therefore, the 

 cavities of the ftrata are to be filled with folid matter, by means 

 of water, there nvuft be made to pafs through thofe porous maf- 

 fes, water impregnated with fome other fubftances in a diflblved 

 ftate ; and the aqueous menftruum mull be made to feparate 

 from the diflblved fubftance, and to depofit the fame in thofe 

 cavities through which the folution moves. 



BY fuch a fuppofition as this, we might perhaps explain a 

 partial confolidation of thofe ftrata ; but this is a fuppofition, 

 of which the cafe under confideration does not admit ; for in 

 the prefent cafe, which is that of materials accumulated at 

 the bottom of the ocean, there is not proper means for fepa- 

 rating the diflblved matter from, the water included in thofe 

 enormous mafles ; nor are there any means by which a circula- 



F f 2 tion 



