376 On Cosmogony. 
Frerich philosopher seems at variance with the Jewish historian. 
It appears not only from him, but also from Jameson and from 
Werner himself, that the creation occupied a petiod of some thou- 
said years; that fishes were formed long before land animals, 
and land animals long before man. Jameson thus endeavours to 
reconcile these apparent discrepances. He supposes, with Bi- 
shop Horsley, that when our globe was originally formed it may 
have revolved on its axis much slower than it does uow; and con- 
sequently that each day of the creation may have been a period 
of a thousand years, or even a longer term. Now if we admit 
that this is a complete soluticn of the difiiculty, we shall be grant 
ing little; for there are other difficulties which appear far greater, 
and at which Jameson has not even glanced. I will state those 
which have struck me most. 
1. It is most evident, from the account of Moses, that all the 
animals which were created on the fifth and sixth day were alive 
on the seventh and at a subsequent period. But according to ~ 
Cuvier, fishes without number perished before the sixth day com~ 
menced, and beasts innumerable perished before the sixth day 
was closed. 
2. Itis clear, from the words of Scripture, that all living things 
were made for the use of man. Hut Cuvier informs us, that a 
multitude of fishes, and most probably of beasts, also perished 
before the formation of man. 
3. If only some individuals of a species had perished, or even 
if some species of a genus had become extinet, it might have been 
said that, as the genus was preserved, the purpose of the Creator 
was accomplished. But it appears from Cuvier that whole ge- 
nera of fishes became extinct, and that new ones succeeded them 
before the formation of !and-quadrupeds, and that whole geneta 
of land-quadrupeds became extinct and were succeeded by others. 
Hence it is apparent that whole tribes, both of fishes and of beasts, 
were created without any reference to man. 
4, Moses teaches us, that the earth was adorned with its beau- 
teous garniture of trees atid plants on the third day, but that no 
living thing knew the luxury of existence until the fifth, But 
Cuvier instructs us, that fishes, and crocodiles, and serpents, 
lived and died long before the earth was fitted for the sup- 
port of land animals. Professor Jameson is most decided on 
this point. His great work on mineralogy was published nine years 
ago, In the third volume he asserted that fishes appear to have 
existed before land-plants were produced. 
5, According to Moses, tie reptiles were formed at the sanie 
time with the beasts; but Cuvier tells us, that serpents and ovi- 
parous animals in general were contemporaneous with the fishes. 
6. From the account which Moses has given us of the deluge, 
it 
: 
4 
J 
: 
