447 



« ceive that the works of nature, ufually deemed the moft permanent, 

 « are thofe on which the charafters of viciflitude are mofl deeply im- 

 " printed ; he fees hirafelf in the midft of a vaft ruin, where the 

 « precipices which rife on all fides with fuch boldnefs and afperity, do 

 « but mark fo many epochs in the progrefs of decay." (lUuflrations 

 page no.) 



Dr Hutton is full as gloomy; he fays, (page 296) "in the na- 

 « tural operations of the world, the land is perilhing continually j 

 "and on the mountain top nothing is to be obferved but continual decay." 



And in another place, « if the vegetable foil is thus conftantly removed 

 " from the furface of the land, and if its place be fupplied from the 

 " diffoiution of the folid earth, we may perceive an end to this beau- 

 " tiful machine :" and again, « we are therefore to confider as ine- 

 "vitable, the deftruftion of our land." (Edin. Tranf. page 115.) 



Notwithftanding this defponding pifture, I hope to prove, that the 

 fofter parts of our earth are ftill lefs in danger of diffoiution, than our 

 mod fohd rocks. I muft dwell a little on thefe topics, for two rea- 

 fons. 



Firft, becaufe I have met with intelligent perfons who could not re- 

 concile themfelves to Dr. Huttonh fubaqueous fufions, or to his eleva- 

 tions of ftrata by igneous cxpanfions ; yet agreed with him in opi- 

 nion, that the fuperficial parts of the world were gradually wearing 

 away. 



Secondly, becaufe it is a queftion not of theory and fpeculation, 

 lut one upon which every intelligent perfon is qualified to form an 

 adequate judgment from his own obfervation. 



The proof of Dr. Hutton*& firft propofition (the prefent queftion) 



turns much upon the definition of a foil, which, with Mr. Playfair is 



" the vegetable mould fpread over the furface of the earth." 



^^ Dr. Humn is more particular: he fays, (page 214) " a foil is no- 



" thmg but the materials colkaed from the deftruftion of the folid- 



" land.'* 



