Lesson xxx.] SPRINGS. 207 



depth as to be not at all affected by the ebbing and 

 flowing of the sea ; but convey the water always 

 in equal portions in equal times, and, of course, 

 supply the Springs with regularity. 



Against this hypothesis of charybdes, T imagine 

 two objections will be opposed ; but I think neither 

 of them will overset it. And first, it may be said, 

 that if many of the Springs are supplied in this way, 

 the charybdes must be numerous, and therefore it 

 js surprising that not more of them are discovered. 

 Here I would reply, that if there are many, suppose 

 a charybdis to a Spring, it follows that they must, 

 comparatively speaking, be very small, and of 

 course, their effects may not be perceptible upon so 

 large and deep a body of water. A hole a quarter 

 of an inch in diameter, would let out much liquor 

 from a full hogshead, though it would not disturb 

 the tranquillity of the liquor at the surface. 



But, in the second place, it may be said, that I 

 cannot explain the way in which water is con- 

 ducted so high above its source. I cannot j. but 

 this is no proof that it is not so conducted no 

 more than it would be a proof that a man was 

 lifeless, because he could not account for his own 

 existence. The properties of various kinds of 

 matter have been determined j but only in such 

 circumstances as would admit of experiments being 

 tried : in those cases wheje we can only form a 

 judgment by analogy, we are always liable to fall 

 into error, though we may sometimes escape it. 



Since the late discoveries in Electricity and Mag- 

 netism, matter has been found to possess qualities 



which 



