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The efFed of the encounter of fuch enormous maffes of water, 

 rufhing in oppofite direQions, muft have been flupendous, it was 

 fuch as appears to have fhaken and Shattered fome of the foHd 

 vaults that fupported the fubjacent ftrata of the globe. To this 

 concuffion I afcribe the formation of the bed of the Atlantic from 

 latitude co° fouth up to the north pole. The bare infpedion 

 of a mnp is fufficient to fliew that this vaft fpace was hollowed 

 by the impreffion of water ; the protuberance from Cape Frio to 

 the river of the Amazons, or La Plata in South America, corref- 

 ponding with the incavation on the African fide from the river 

 of Congo to Cape Palmas ; and the African protuberance from 

 the Straits of Gibraltar to cape Palmas, anfweringto the immcnfe 

 cavity between New York and Cape St. Roque. The depreffion 

 of fuch a vafl trad of land cannot appear improbable when we 

 confider the fhock it muft have received, and the enormous load 

 with which it was charged. Nor is fuch deprcflion and abforption 

 unexampled fince we have had frequent inftances of mountains 

 fwallowed up, and fome very lately in Calabria * 



The 



» The Bay of Galway appears to have been originally a granitic mountain, fliattered 

 and fwallowed during this cataftrophe, for fragments of granite are found on its 

 northern (hore, though none in the neighbouring mountains, which are chiefly 

 argillitic. Alfo a vaft mafs of granite called the Gregory, lately flood on one of the 

 ifles of Arran, loo feet at leall above the level of the fea, lo or 12 feet high, as many 

 broad, and about twenty in length. Though the whole mafs of the ifland confifts of 

 compa£l limetlone and no granitic hill within 8 or 10 miles of it. This was (hattered 

 by lightning in 1774. 



