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tain Laws peculiar to our Continents. Every 

 where elfe, the number, the variety, the duration, 

 the regularity and the irregularity of the tides, have 

 no relation whatever to the phafes of the Moon, 

 and co-incide, on the contrary, with the effeds of 

 the Sun on the polar ices, and the configuration of 

 the Poles of the Earth. This we are now going to 

 demonftrate, by employing the fame principle of 

 comparifon which has enabled us to refute the er- 

 ror of the Academicians refpeding the flattening 

 of the Poles, and to prove the truth of my theory 

 refpefting their elongation. 



If the Moon aded, by herattradion on the tides 

 of the Ocean, flie would extend the influence of it 

 to mediterranean feas and lakes. But, this is not 

 the cafe, as mediterranean feas and lakes have no 

 tides, at lead, no lunar tides ; for we haVe obferved 

 that the lakes, fituated at the foot of icy moun- 

 tains, have, in fummer, folar tides, or a flux like 

 the Ocean. Such is the lake of Geneva, which has 

 a regular afternoon's flux. This co-incidence, of 

 the flux of lakes in the vicinity of icy mountains, 

 with the heat of the Sun, gives, at once, a high 

 degree of probability to my theory of the tides ; 

 and, on the contrary, the difagreement of thofe 

 fame fluxes with the phafes of the Moon, as well 

 as the tranquility of mediterraneans, when that 

 flat pafl^es over their meridian, render, at firfl: fight, 



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