THE EARTH. 37 



every part, from its surface to its centre : conse- 

 quently the new formed globe was unfit for ani- 

 mal or vegetable life; and therefore it would 

 seem extremely absurd to suppose that either the 

 one or the other were created during the chaotic 

 state of the earth, or prior to its being formed 

 into an habitable world : therefore the presump- 

 tion is great, that mankind were not created till 

 the earth was become suitable to the nature of 

 their existence. 



" The component parts of this chaos were 

 heterogeneous, or endowed with peculiar laws of 

 elective attraction; whereby similar bodies are 

 disposed to unite and form select bodies of vari- 

 ous denominations, as air, water, earth, &c. ; and 

 by means of these principles, the chaos was pro- 

 gressively formed into an habitable world. 



" The atmosphere, sea, and land, being thus 

 formed for the reception of the animal and vege- 

 table kingdoms, in successive periods of time, 

 we have now to consider the order in which they 

 were severally created. First, since it appears 

 that the ocean became perfectly pure and fit for 

 animal life, before the primitive islands were 

 formed, Mr Whitehurst endeavours to prove, 

 from a series of undeniable facts, that marine 

 animals were first formed ; and being extremely 

 prolific, they increased and multiplied so exceed- 

 ingly, as to replenish the sea from pole to pole. 

 The ocean being thus stocked with inhabitants 

 prior to the formation of the primitive islands, 

 many of them became enveloped and buried in 

 the mud by the continual action of the tides ; 



