2. 96 Water In tie Center cf the Earth. [ B ock V I . 



the/e are not filled up 'with extraneous matter, the 

 internal furface is fet with very beautiful and regular 

 cr'yttals of the fparry kind, projecting into the -cavity. 



Some have attributed thefe irregularities to frequent 

 earthquakes; others have imagined that the globe, 

 before the deluge, contained an immenfe body ; of 

 \vater, covered over with a cruft of earth, which at 

 the deluge was broken through, and partly funk in 

 the waters, the elevated edges forming the mountains 

 and high lands, while the lower were overflowed by 

 the ocean ; others have fuppofed, that the near ap^ 

 proach of a comet has thrown the materials of the 

 globe into confufion. Buffon imagines, that the fea 

 is continually changing its bed, and is conftantly 

 \vafhing away the ground' from one place to another*. 



But 



* 'A H.ort ;etch of the moil remarkable theories of the earth 

 is given by a popular writer, and it may be amufing to feme readers 

 to trac. Irs of the human imagination. 



* The firit who formed this amufemeht of earth-making into 

 fyftem was the celebrated Thomas Barnet, a man of polite learn- 

 ing and rapid imagination. His Sacred Theory, as he calls it, de- 

 fciibing the changes which the earth has undergone, or ihal! here- 

 after undergo, is well known for the warmth with which it is 

 imagined, and the weaknefs with which it is reafcned, for the 

 elegance -of its ftyle, and the meannefs of its philofophy. The 

 earth, lays he, before the deluge, was very differently formed 



.from what it is at prefent: it was at firit a fluid mafs ; a chaos 

 compoied of various fubltances, differing both iu denfity and 

 f.gure: tr.ofe which were moft heavy funk to the center, and 

 ibr-mcd in the middle of our globe an hard folid body; thofe of 

 a lighter nature remained next ; and the waters, which were 

 lighter tiillj fwam upon its fuiface, and covered the earth on 

 every fide. The air, ar d all thofe fluids which were lighter than 

 water, floated upon this alib ; and in the fame manner encompafTed 

 the globe ; fo that between the. furrounding body of waters, and. 

 the circumambient air, there was formed a coat of oil, ajd other 

 unctuous fubitances, lighter than water. However, as the air 

 was full extremely impure, and mult have carried up \viih it many 



of 



