88 M. Frayssinous's Defence of Christianity. 



but confines himself to some general reflections, with the view of 

 shewing that this successive formation of beings is not opposed by ' 

 any authenticated observation. In fact, the second period desig- 

 natesthetime when an equilibrium must have been established be- 

 tween the waters of the sea and those which are contained in the 

 atmosphere ; the third, that when the successive diminution of the 

 waters uncovered the first surfaces of the earth, which hence- 

 forth were enabled to invest themselves with that primitive ve- 

 getation, the remains of which are found in the oldest secon- 

 dary rocks ; but here it is necessary to clear up a difiiculty which 

 has frequently been adduced as a very embarrassing argument, 

 and to which recent observations enable us to give a satisfactory 

 explanation. How could plants have grown and propagated at 

 a time when the sun did not yet shine in the firmament ? The 

 proper heat acquired by the terrestrial globe from its original 

 incandescence, was suflScient to develope and support this vege- 

 tation, and may explain the apparent difficulty in question. 

 The central heat of Buffbn, which has thrown so much discredit 

 on the theory of that illustrious naturalist, is now among the 

 number of the most accredited facts, and is supported by all the 

 observations in geology and physics. The phenomena of volca- 

 noes, earthquakes, and hot springs, can only be accounted for 

 by this hypothesis ; all the circumstances of which are moreover 

 in accordance, as M. Fourier has shewn, with the mathematical 

 theories respecting the cooling of bodies submitted to the in- 

 fluence of a high temperature. We were the first who, in these 

 latter times, endeavoured to revive the memory of Buffbn with 

 regard to the fundamental ideas of his theory of the earth, 

 and to explain all the changes which the animal and vegetable 

 kingdoms have undergone at the surface of the globe, principally 

 on the ground of the reduction of temperature. Our theory on 

 this subject was even extended by a learned Englishman, Dr 

 Crichton, who proved the independence which the original cli- 

 mate of the terrestrial globe must have maintained with respect 

 to the solar heat. All the proofs which he adduces form a blaze 

 of light which leaves no doubt regarding this subject ; so that, 

 proceeding from this important datum, we not only can conceive 

 how the primitive vegetation of the earth's surface could have 

 existed independently of the solar heat, but the same observations 



