74 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



tailed in sacred history rests on a solid and 

 immutable basis; and that the Supreme Intelli 

 gence who arranged the fabric of heaven and 

 earth, and he alone, communicated to the inspir 

 ed writers the doctrines and the facts they have 

 recorded ; and we have reason to believe, that, as 

 geologists proceed in their researches and inves 

 tigations, still more sensible proofs of the authen 

 ticity of Revelation will be brought to light. 



Geology has, of late, become an interesting 

 object of inquiry to the student of general science, 

 and is now prosecuted with ardour by many dis 

 tinguished philosophers. Tho observations which 

 have been made in various parts of the world, 

 by late navigators; the facts which have been 

 ascertained by Pallas, Saussure, De Luc, Hum- 

 boldt, and other intelligent travellers ; and the 

 discoveries which have been brought to light by 

 modern chyrnists and mineralogists, have all 

 conspired to facilitate geological inquiries, to 

 render them more enlightened and satisfactory, 

 and to prepare the way for future ages establish 

 ing a rational, scriptural, and substantial theory 

 of the earth. The man who engages in such in 

 quiries has always at hand a source of rational 

 investigation and enjoyment. The ground on 

 which he treads the aspect of the surrounding 

 country the mines, the caves, and the quarries 

 which he explores every new country in which 

 h* travels, every mountain he climbs, and every 

 new surface of the earth that is laid open to his 

 inspection, offer to him novel and interesting 

 stores of information. On descending into mines, 

 we are not only gratified by displays of human in 

 genuity, but we also acquire views of the strata of 

 the earth, and of the revolutions it has undergone 

 since the period of its formation. Our research 

 es on the surface of the earth, amidst abrupt pre 

 cipices and lofty mountains, introduce us to the 

 grandest and most sublime works of the Creator, 

 and present to our view the effects of stupendous 

 forces, which have overturned mountains, and 

 rent the foundations of nature. &quot; In the midst of 

 such scenes, the geologist feels his mind invigo 

 rated ; the magnitude of the appearances before 

 him extinguishes all the little and contracted no 

 tions he may have formed in the closet ; and he 

 learns, that it is only by visiting and studying 

 those stupendous works, that he can form an 

 adequate conception of the great relations of 

 the crust of the globe, and of its mode of forma 

 tion.&quot;* 



The upper crust, or surface of the earth, is 

 found to be composed of different strata, or beds 

 placed one above another. These strata, or lay 

 ers, are very much mixed, and their direction, 

 matter, thickness, and relative position, vary 

 considerably in different places. These strata 

 are divided into seven classes, as follows : 

 Dlack earth, clay, sandy earth, marl, bog, chalk, 



Edinburgh Encyclop A.rt. Mineralogy. 



and scabeous or stony earth. The surface of 

 the globe, considered in relation to its inequali 

 ties, is divided into highland, lowland, and the 

 bottom of the sea. Highland comprises Alpine 

 land, composed of mountain groups, or series of 

 mountain chains : lowland comprises those 

 extensive flat tracts which are almost entirely 

 destitute of small mountain groups. To the 

 bottom of the sea belong the flat, rocky bottom, 

 shoals, reefs, and islands. 



At first sight, the solid mass of the earth 

 appears to be a confused assemblage of rocky 

 masses, piled on each other without regularity or 

 order, where none of (hose admirable displays of 

 skill and contrivance are to be observed, which 

 so powerfully excite attention in the structure of 

 animals and vegetables. But, on a nearer and 

 more intimate view, a variety of beautiful ar 

 rangements has been traced by the industry of 

 geologists, and the light of modern discoveries; 

 by which they have been enabled to classify these 

 apparent irregularities of nature. The materials 

 of which the solid crust of the earth is composed, 

 have been arranged into the four following class 

 es: 1. Those rocks which contain neither any 

 animal nor vegetable remains themselves, nor 

 are intermixed with rocks which do contain 

 them, and are therefore termed primitive, or 

 primary rocks ; the period of whose forma f ion 

 is considered as antecedent to that of the crea 

 tion of organic beings. These are granite, 

 gneiss, mica slate, and clay slate, which occur 

 abundantly in all regions of the globe, with 

 quartz rock, serpentine, granular limestone, &c. 

 which occur more sparingly. 2. Rocks con 

 taining organic remains, or generally associated 

 with other rocks in which such substances are 

 found, and which, as having been formed pos 

 terior to the existence of organized beings, are 

 termed secondary. These are greywacke, 

 sandstone, limestone, and gypsum of various 

 kinds, slate clay, with certain species of trap, 

 and they are found lying above the primary or 

 older rocks. 3. Above these secondary rocks, 

 beds of gravel, sand, earth, and moss are found, 

 which have been termed alluvial rocks or for* 

 malions. This class comprehends those rocky 

 substances formed from previously existing rocks, 

 of which the materials have been broken down 

 by the agency of water and air; they are there 

 fore generally loose in their texture, and are 

 never covered with any real solid and rocky 

 secondary strata. 4. Volcanic rocks ; under 

 which class are comprehended all those rocks, 

 beds of lava, scoriae, and other matter, thrown 

 out at certain points of the earth s surface by the 

 action of subterraneous fire. 



&quot; The phenomena of geology show, that the 

 original formation of the rocks has been accompa 

 nied, in nearly all its stages, by a process of 

 waste, decay, and re composition. The rocks 

 as they were successively deposited, were acted 



