STUDY IV. 215 



the wreck and the vifcidities of an infinite number 

 of fillies, fea-urchins, fea-weeds, fhells, corals, and 

 formed them into ftrata of gravel, paftes of 

 marble, of marie, of plafher and calcareous fiones, 

 which conflicute, to this day, the foil of a confider- 

 able part of Europe. Every layer of our foffils 

 was the effe6t of an univerfal Tide. While the 

 effufions of the polar ices were covering the wef- 

 terly extremities of our Continent with the fpoils 

 of the Ocean, they were fpreading over it's eafterly 

 extremities thofe of the Land, and depofited on 

 the foil of China, ftrata of vegetable earth, from 

 three to four hundred feet deep. 



Then it was that all the plans of Nature were 

 reverfed. Complete iilands of floating ice, loaded 

 with white bears, run aground among the palm- 

 trees of the torrid Zone, and the elephants of Africa 

 were toffed amidft the fir-groves of Siberia, where 

 iheir large bones are ftill found to this day. The 

 vaft plains of the Land, inundated by the waters, 

 no longer prefented a career to the nimble courfer, 

 and thofe of the Sea, roufed into fury, ceafed to 

 be navigable. In vain did Man think of flying 

 for fafety to the lofty mountains. Thoufands of 

 torrents ruflied down their fides, and mingled the 

 confufed noife of their waters with the howling 

 of the winds; and the roaring of the thunder. 

 Black tempefts gathered round their fummits, and 



p 4 diff'ufed 



