THE EARTH. 



117 



according to Mr. Howard, produced from 

 one hundred and fifty grains, seventy-five of 

 siliceous earth, thirty-seven of magnesia, 

 forty-eight of oxyde, or calx of iron, and two 

 of oxyde, or calx of nickell ; leaving an ex- 

 cess from its original weight of twelve grains, 

 owing to the oxydation of the metallic bodies. 

 Various conjectures have been made, to 

 account for their appearance ; but such is the 

 obscurity of the subject, that no opinion in 

 the slightestdegree probable has yet been ad- 

 vanced. It was at first supposed, that they 

 had been thrown out of volcanoes, but the 

 immense distance from all volcanoes renders 

 this opinion of little value. Chaldni endea- 

 voured to prove, that the meteors from which 

 they fell, were bodies floating in space, un- 

 connected with any planetary system, at- 

 tracted by the earth in their progress, and 

 kindled by their rapid motion in the atmos- 

 phere. Laplace suggests the probability of 

 their having been thrown off by the volcanoes 



of the moon ; but the meteors which almost 

 always accompany them, and the swiftness 

 of their horizontal motion, persuade us to re- 

 ject this opinion. Sir William Hamilton, 

 and Mr. King, with greater probability con- 

 sider them as concretions actually formed in 

 the atmosphere. 



In addition to these, the showers of sulphur 

 which are related to have occasionally fallen, 

 and the vast masses of iron found in South 

 America, and Siberia, are supposed to have 

 their origin from the same causes : for it is a 

 singular coincidence, that these pieces of 

 iron contain nickell, which has never been 

 known to be present in real native iron. 



Upon the whole, we can only look with 

 ignorant astonishment, and at present con- 

 sider these stony and metallic masses as frag- 

 ments of meteoric fire-balls, which have burst 

 in the atmosphere, the origin and causes of 

 which must be left to the accumulated wis- 

 dom and inquiry of future ages.] 



CHAPTER XXn. 



THE CONCLUSION. 



HAVING thus gone through a particular 

 description of the earth, let us now pause for 

 a moment, to contemplate the great picture 

 before us. The universe may be considered 

 as the palace in which the Deity resides ; and 

 this earth as one of its apartments. In this, 

 all the meaner races of animated nature 

 mechanically obey him ; and stand ready to 

 execute his commands without hesitation. 

 Man alone is found refractory ; he is the only 

 being endued with a power of contradicting 

 these mandates. The Deity was pleased to 

 exert superior power in creating him a su- 

 perior being ; a being endued with a choice 

 of good and evil ; and capable, in some mea- 

 sure, of co-operating with his own intentions. 

 Man, therefore, may be considered as a 

 limited creature, endued with powers imita- 

 tive of those residing in the Deity. He is 

 thrown into a world that stands in need 

 of his help ; and has been granted a power 



of producing harmony from partial confu- 



sion. 



If, therefore, we consider the earth as al- 

 lotted for our habitation, we shall find that 

 much has been given us to enjoy, and much 

 to amend ; that we have ample reasons for 

 our gratitude, and still more for our industry. 

 In those great outlines of nature, to which art 

 cannot reach, and where our greatest efforts 

 must have been ineffectual, God himself has 

 finished these with amazing grandeur and 

 beauty. Our beneficent Father has consi- 

 dered these parts of nature as peculiarly his 

 own ; as parts which no creature could have 

 skill or strength to amend: and, therefore, 

 made them incapable of alteration, or of more 

 perfect regularity. The heavens and the fir- 

 mament show the wisdom and the glory of 

 the Workman. Astronomers, who are best 

 skilled in the symmetry of systems, can find 

 nothing there that they can alter for the bet- 

 2 B* 



