THE 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE. 



I. A Reply to Mr. Playfaiu's Rejleti'ions on Mr. Kir- 

 WAn's Refutation of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth. 

 By RtcHARD Kirwan, Efq. LL.D. F.R.S. and 

 F. R. I. A. 



DEAR SIR, Dublin, Aug. 24, 1802. 



When T firft undertook tn flate fome objeftions to 

 Dr. Button's Theory, I little imagined I fhould call forth 

 fuch indignation and fiich illiberal perfonalitics as appeared 

 in the fecond edition of that work ; but however hurt the 

 felf-lovc of an author niiglu have been by an attack on his 

 favourite ideas, I had ftill lefs rcafon to foiefee that the fame 

 ftyle of hoftility would have been p'erfifted in by any perfon 

 to whom I had given no otlence whatfocver. Mr. Playfair's 

 Illuftrations of the Huttonian Theory, vyhich 1 have ittn 

 only a few days ago, convince mc I was miltaken; he not 

 only attempts to jultify the afpcr'ities, as he calls them, of 

 Dr. Hutton, but aggravates them by new invectives. Vou 

 need not fear, Sir, that I fliall pollute the pages of your 

 journal by the vulgar mode of retaliation ; I Ihall make no 

 refleClions on his defence of Dr. Hutton's Theorv : enouch 

 has been faid on that fubjeft. I fliall content mvTelf wi'th 

 repelling his unprovoked and unmerited attacks on niyfelf. 



To eifed this, however, I fhall be obliged to Itate his 

 abufive paragraphs, and thus expo!', their indecency. It is 

 the only vengeance 1 (hall take; he, probably, will account 

 it none. 



P4ge 119. " To aflert, that in tlic economy of the world 

 we fee no mark cither of a begiiming or an end, is very dif- 

 ferent from alfirniing, that the world had no bcginninir, and 

 will have no end. 'I'he lir(l is a concluiion jullnied by com- 

 mon fcnfc as well as Ibund philofopby; while the fecond is 

 a prefumptuous and unwanaiilable aliertion." Here I nniH: 

 deny that ihe lirll ad'ertion, namely, that we fee no mark of 

 a beginning, is a concluiion julUlied by common fcjilc and 

 found |)liiloiophy. 



MojLUl. A 2 Mr. 



