376 Elements of Mineralogy. 



fothat in every eflential point it is totally un- 

 like to glafs to which fome have compared it. 

 As granite contains earths of every genus, we 

 may conclude that all the fimple earths are 

 coeval with the creation. This obfervation 

 does not preclude further refearches into their 

 compofition ; for though water undoubtedly 

 dates from the creation, yet fome late expe- 

 riments ihew it to be a compound : their fim- 

 plicity may be only relative to the prefent 

 ftate of our knowledge. 



Mountains, which confift of lime-ftone or 

 marble of a granular or fcaly texture, and not 

 difpofed in ftrata, feem alib to have preceded 

 the creation of animals, for no organic traces 

 are found in them. Alfo thofe that confift of 

 ftones of the argillaceous genus, and of the 

 6th compound fpecies of the filiceous genus, 

 feem to be primaeval, as they contain no or- 

 ganic remains : thefe often confift of parallel 

 ftrata of unequal thicknefs, and the lower are 

 harder and lefs thick than the upper, whence 

 the lower feem to have been firft formed, and 

 the upper latter. They are the principal feat 

 of metallic fubftances, whofe ores run acrofs 

 the ftrata in all directions ; hence they are by 

 the Germans called Gang geburge, and by the 

 French Montagues ajihns. Coal is never foun4 

 Jn them. 



It 



