r 



[ 26r ] 



manner, but after long -intervals of time, the fucceeding flrata appear 

 to have been formed, but they did not attain their prefent folidity 

 until after the retreat of the fea, and through the operation of 

 Caufes which I fliall prefently mention. 



Fkom the circumftances here ftated wc may eafily account for 

 feveral of the moft general geological obfervations, as, 



1°. Why flratified hills have always been found repofing on 

 primary rocks or inv fting primary mountains, as on granite, 

 gneifs, argillite, &c. as Ferber, Born, Pallas, Gerhard, Charpentier, 

 Werner, Sauflure, &c. atteft, not as matters of opinion, but as fads 

 they have conftantly been witneffes to. Dodor Hutton indeed 

 thinks this obfervaUon does not hold true with refped to Scot- 

 land, or even with refpedt to the greater part of Britain, becaufe 

 in traverfing the greater part of that ifland he feldom met with 

 granite ; but it is plain from what has been faid, that it is not on 

 the furface it fliould be expeded, but under the fuperior ftrata, 

 therefore the Dodor's obfervations, but not his affertions, are 

 perfedly confiftent with thofe of ail other geologifts. However 

 Mr. Everfman of Berlin, who refided fome years in Scotland, tells 

 us that the fundamental rock {Grund gebi'i ge) of Scotland is a mafs 

 of the ^r^«/V/ir kind, i Bergm. Jour. 1789, 495, and Dodor Afh 

 relates that not only near Aberdeen, but in the more fouthern 

 parts, extenfive granitic mountains often occur, i Chy. Ann. 1792, 

 115. Thctriiih is that the whole of Britain feems to have been 



formed 



