xii P R E F A C E. 



in fentimental and poetical flights, or in 

 marvellous tales of wonders performed, 

 or rather not performed, by the noftrums of 

 St. Januarius, and the ceremonies of crafty 

 priefts. They noticed only the apparent 

 de vacations ; and did not fo much as ima- 

 gine that the volcanic and Veluvian horrors 

 are concomitant majeftic effects of the moft 

 active power of Nature, creating new foffils 

 and land by the greateft of all chemical 

 operations. But very few of them, and thofe 

 only of late, advifed the applying thefe 

 phaenomena, and the new-raifed volcanic 

 iilands, to fome general hypothecs of the 

 earth : although the Greeks, about two thou- 

 fand years ago, had fet the fairefr. example, 

 in tracing Nature's fyflem by fimilar facts. 

 I do not allude to Father Kirchers Subterra- 

 neous World, in which that credulous man 

 dreamed of a central and fubterraneous fire ; 

 appearing no where except in his own chi- 

 merical fedtions of the earth. I mean to 

 fpeak of the better fyftems of Ray J , Hooke 1 ^ 



1 Phyiico -Theological Difcourfes. 

 * Treatife on Earthquakes, in his Pofthumous 

 Works. 



and 



