208 LIFE ON THE EARTH. 



there is inuch ground for believing, in regard to the 

 chasms which do exist in the series of freshwater 

 and terrestrial races, that if filled, they would not 

 lead to other inferences than such as appear con- 

 sistent with the records of the sea. If the monu- 

 ments of the earlier life of the globe are essential 

 witnesses, but too few and independent for a satis- 

 factory test of a given hypothesis of the sequence 

 of life, it is unfortunately ineligible for admission 

 among accepted truths. 



Caloric, electricity, chemical action, are all in- 

 fluential on life ; elevating and depressing it, carry- 

 ing it on or bringing it to a close, according to the 

 measure and mode of application of these powers of 

 nature. Employed as they are in the current of life, 

 and at every moment acting on and being acted on 

 by it, nothing has seemed easier to speculation than 

 to conceive these agencies so operating on appro- 

 priate matter as to make the vital machine which 

 could not be kept in motion without them. The 

 only thing wanting is the due co-ordination of these 

 powers, in the appropriate matter. Here unfortu- 

 nately is the difficulty due co-ordination of inde- 

 pendent powers in matter rightly adapted implies 

 the directing mind of the Master of power and matter. 

 The formula is imperfect 



We start, for LIFE is wanting there ! 



