270 THE WORLD. 



suddenly swallowing thousands of*terrified men, women, and 

 children, yet the philosopher looks beyond this sight of human 

 suffering; forgetting the momentary pain and terror, he sees hero 

 the origin of many of those mighty changes which he had before 

 detected, and learns many new facts in regard to the former physi* 

 cal structure and condition of our planet, We have now con- 

 sidered somewhat at length the aqueous, and igneous, causes of 

 change in the inorganic world, and we proceed to consider the' 

 agency of the atmosphere and of vital action. 





