6*& TRAVELS THROUGH 



water. This, indeed, is very often the cafe. We 

 are unhappily too much inclined to draw general 

 conclufions from particular obfervations, and to 

 flatter ourfelves of having exhaufted Nature's 

 powers, by judging and explaining its operations 

 according to a fmgle method. Very often we do 

 not even fufpect her being able to anfwer the fame 

 purpofes by different ways. I have many evi- 

 dences of it here in Italy ; fince, by a law of reta- 

 liation, arrd in fpite of our ultramontane minera- 

 logifts, who, perhaps, may be too fond of the 

 aqueous hypothefis, they explain all by their vol- 

 canic fyflem, even unfeen Nature, and the foflils 

 of countries which have few or no volcanos at all. 

 Happy the man, who, cautious of extremes, ad- 

 heres to no hypothefis, and is not in hafte himfelf 

 to believe, but admits of facts, even if they 

 ihould be oppofed to his former ideas \ 



You certainly remember, my deareft friend, that 

 |aft fummer we faw in Bohemia many bafalt-hills, 

 and in fuch places where we fufpecled only 

 productions of water-diflblved materials. I fancy, 

 likewife, I have told you my obfervations of the 

 Habichwald, near Cafiel ; where, in the agreeable 

 company of my learned friend Mr. Rajpe, I np- 

 ticed feveral marks of ancient volcanos. He has 

 fince fent to the Englilh Royal Society a Differ-, 

 tation j wherein he afferts with a high degree of 



