228 i)r Daubcnyo;* the Diluvial Theory, 



' ■ . . ' ''-^^ 



lip previously to tlie publication of the writings I have beea 



obliged hereto allude to. If I stood alone in these opiuion^^ 

 I might perbaps bow to the authority of individuals more exclu- 

 sively devoted to the study of geology than myself, who have? 

 afriyed at opposite conclusions; but when I see the best natiyi-^ 

 ralists divided, and even some of those who adopt, to a certain>^ 

 degree, the views proposed to be substituted for the diluvial^ 

 theor}^ compelled to call in the assistance of something of the 

 same kind to explain certain refractory phenomena, I think it 

 best for the present to retain my original views on these points, 

 which are still espoused by the individuals who first gave them 

 currency in this country, and which, whether true or false, serve 

 at least to convey a clear conception of the relation existing be- 

 tween the volcanic products of the districts I have described. 



I ought not, however, to conclude this long epistle, without 

 bearing my humble testimony to the merits of the work which 

 first induced me to address you, and expressing the satisfaction 

 I have experienced jn perusing a treatise on Geology, which, 

 unlike some of those which preceded it, is distinguished no less 

 for the number and general accuracy of its details, than for the 

 philosophical spirit in which it is conceived. ^h 



I am quite prepared to admit, that the accounting for all the 

 phenomena exhibited on the earth's surface, not only consistent- 

 ly with the present laws of nature (for on that point I suppose 

 we are all agreed), but also without having recourse to any ope-i 

 rations but those we are eye-witnesses of, constitutes in a man'^ 

 ner the heau ideal at which our researches should aim, and 

 would, if successful, elevate geology to the rank of the exact 

 sciences. But we must be on our guard, nevertheless, not to be 

 led away by the charm of simplicity, so as to overlook the diffi- 

 culties which seem at present to stand in the way of such aj[)> 

 explanation, and imagine the object within our reach, when it 

 is seen only perhaps in distant and doubtful perspective. 



Whether, too, the modifications which the author has chosen 

 to introduce in the Huttonian Theory be an improvement in it, 

 seems to me questionable ; but be that as it may, the surviving 

 supporters of that hypothesis will welcome with acclamation 

 a disciple who has maintained, with so much skill and research, 

 the leading positions of their system ; and I am sure that, if its 



