LIFE ON THE EARTH. 187 



'6. From the above considerations, it appears 

 that species have a real existence in nature; and 

 that each was endowed, at the time of its creation, 

 with the attributes and organization by which it is 

 now distinguished 1 .' 



STEATA IDENTIFIED BY OEGANIC EEMAINS. 



The discovery by William Smith of the successive 

 stages of the stratification of Britain, each contain- 

 ing the remains of the organic beings then living 

 in the waters or distributed through their agency, 

 each stratum having been in succession the bed of 

 the sea, gave the basis of a true Palaeontology, and 

 a true history of the succession of life on the globe. 

 Almost every geologist and naturalist who has read 

 this history by the light of these discoveries has 

 arrived at the conclusion that many separate acts of 

 creation are required to explain the successive ap- 

 pearances of the various races of animals and plants* 

 In a few instances, of late years, the attempt has 

 been made to adapt the hypothesis of Lamarck to 

 the facts of Geology, and to combine two really dis- 

 tinct ideas to derive all the observed variety of 

 organization from one or a few original germs, by 

 steps continually ascending on the whole to higher 



1 Principles of Geology, Book in. conclusion of Chap. rv. 



