42 



feet higher than it was formerly. This elevation is ob 

 served only on the northern and eastern coasts of the 

 Adriatic. The sea seems on the contrary, to abandon 

 the western coast, that of Italy. 



The eye can reach but a short way into the depth of 

 any sea, and that only when the surface is glassy and se- 

 rene. In many seas it perceives nothing but a bright 

 sandy plain at bottom, extending for several hundred 

 miles. But in others, particularly the Red sea, it is very 

 different : the whole bottom of this -extensive bed of 

 water, is a forest of submarine plants and corals, formed 

 by insects for their habitation : sometimes branching 

 out to a great extent ; so that some have even supposed 

 the sea to have taken its name from the colour of its 

 plants below. However, these are not peculiar to this 

 sea, as they are found in great quantities in the Persian 

 gulf, along the coasts of Africa, and those of Provence, 

 and Catalonia. 



The bottom of many parts of the sea near America 

 presents a very different appearance. This is covered 

 with vegetables, which makes it look as green as a mea- 

 dow; and beneath are seen thousands of turtles, and 

 other sea animals, feeding therein. 



Ocean-shells are frequently found very near the sur- 

 face of the earth, which proves that such places former- 

 ly have been the sea-shore. Hence it is clear, that the 

 cause which transported them thither acted suddenly, 

 which perfectly agrees with the account of the deluge 

 given by Moses. 



Nay, at Touraine, in France, more than a hundred 

 miles from the sea, there is a plain of about nine 

 leagues long, and as many broad, from whence the pea- 

 sants of the country supply themselves with marie. If 

 they dig deeper than twenty feet, the whole plain is com- 

 posed of the same materials, which are shells of various 

 kinds, without the smallest portion of earth between 

 'them. These shells are in their natural state: but they 

 are found also petrified, and almost in equal abundance, 

 in all the Alpine rocks, in the Pyrenees, in the hills of 

 France, England, and Flanders. Yea in all quarters 

 iroai whence iirarle is dug, if the rock be split perpen- 



