108 THE METAMORPHOSES OF MATTER. 



thoughts, this pit-coal. In the first place, except Nature goes 

 to work differently now to what she was wont to do in times 

 of yore, every atom of carbon in pit-coal came originally from 

 the air. Yes; the metamorphosis of carbon is one of the 

 most curious matters of philosophic contemplation presented 

 by the world's economy. The air, the earth, and living things 

 upon the earth, all hold this protean element in one form or 

 another. Start from what point we will, this curious element 

 attends our exploratory steps, and springs up in evidence 

 before us. Picture now an ideal scene. By some vast cata- 

 clysm all animated nature is swept from the earth : the air is 

 voiceless, for its birds are dead, and creatures of the water 

 are destroyed. The world is tenantless, for the last man has 

 gone to his narrow home. The globe is void of animated life 

 down to the veriest atomy. The material elements of once 

 living forms have yielded themselves up, the trammels of life 

 cast aside. New vital forces have marshalled, or are marshal- 

 ling, them into other forms : onward, thronging still to other 

 destinies. What has become of these once elements of ani- 

 mated nature? what is to become of them? Chiefly before 

 all, what would be the destinies of carbon under the condi- 

 tions of that life-extinction which we have assumed ? At the 

 lowest estimation, carbon makes up seven-tenths of dry ani- 

 mal materials. The number of human beings existing is 

 considered to amount to about 1200 millions. The average 

 weight of an adult human being may be considered as about 

 154 pounds, of which, as already remarked, about 90 pounds 

 is water. In the remnant, that is to say the dry portion, we 

 have to seek for carbon; and now our calculation, hitherto 

 vague, begins to assume an aspect of almost complete certainty. 

 Nearly 45 (say 45) parts by weight of the dry portions of 

 an average adult human body are carbon; in other words, 

 45 pounds for an average adult. But inasmuch as humanity 

 is not made up of adults, inasmuch as we must take the large 

 and the small together, establishing an average, we may be 



