NOMOS. 177 



supposing a different arrangement of land and sea 

 at these times. He has shown that a tropical heat 

 would prevail all over the earth if the land was 

 accumulated around the equator, and that the 

 general temperature would sink to a degree of polar 

 severity if all the land was accumulated around the 

 poles ; and he thinks that the land may have been 

 chiefly collected about the equator at the time when 

 tropical plants and animals flourished in what are 

 now temperate latitudes, an opinion which derives 

 some weight from the considerations which have 

 been used to show that the original tendency of the 

 focal action within the earth would be to raise the 

 land around the equator. But, be this as it may, 

 the "nebulous theory" must be objected to as a 

 means of accounting for the te central fire" of the 

 earth. We must also object to the idea that this 

 " central fire " is kindled by the oxidisation of cer- 

 tain unoxidised minerals within the earth, not be- 

 cause the theory is impossible, but because it is 

 unnecessary and without any very probable founda- 

 tion in fact. 



If, then, we must speculate upon the original con- 

 dition of the earth, there is no reason for supposing 

 that this condition was different from that 



,.,., MI- in i n The ori g inal 



which is described in the first chapter of condition of 



Genesis ; but it is idle to speculate further ma/Se that 



upon this matter until we have found the wribwi'in 8 " 



answer to several practical questions of Genesls< 



greater importance which yet wait for so- Tne ear t h 



lution. What is the real age of the earth ? of any ex- 



T , i ,ii p 1111 , 'A treme anti. 



Is the earth oi incalculable antiquity, or qu ity. 



N 



