38 HISTORY OF 



particularly all the species of shell-fish, which are 

 least able to defend themselves from such inter- 

 ments. Therefore, since the remains of marine 

 animals are imbedded at various depths in the 

 earth, from one to that of several thousand feet, 

 and this in all parts of the world hitherto ex- 

 plored, they bear sufficient testimony that these 

 marine bodies were thus entombed at successive 

 periods of time ; and likewise, that they were 

 created prior to the primitive islands, and conse- 

 quently prior to any terrestrial animals. It may 

 be needless further to observe, that these beds of 

 marine shells plainly evince that they were gene- 

 rated, lived, and died, in the very beds wherein 

 they were found, and were not brought from dis- 

 tant regions by a flood or floods of water, as some 

 people have supposed; consequently, such beds 

 were originally the bottom of the ocean. 



" Mr Whitehurst is of opinion, that the moun- 

 tains, and indeed the continents also, were not 

 primary productions, but the effects of subtemu 

 neous fire, at a very distant period of time from 

 the creation of the world."] 



CHAPTER V. 



OF FOSSIL-SHELLS, AND OTHER EXTRANEOUS 

 FOSSILS. 



WE may affirm of M. Buffon, that which has 

 been said of the chemists of old ; though he may 



