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mantle of the finest texture, redoubling the heat, yet 

 not pressing us by its weight. 



The atmosphere at the same time causes and maintains 

 round us, that light which lays our whole habitation 

 before our eyes. In order to clear this, suppose the 

 atmosphere were destroyed : 1 . The rising of the sun 

 would not be preceded by any twilight, but the most in- 

 tense darkness would surround us till the moment of 

 his rising. 2, In that .instant he would break out in his 

 full brightness, -and so continue till his setting: and that 

 moment it would be pitch dark. 3. In the day his 

 liht would resemble a clear fire, which we see by night 

 in the midst of a spacious field. We should see what 

 was near us, but nothing else : the distant lands would 

 not be perceived, ancPthe night would still continue, 

 notwithstanding the sun. For instead of the white tint 

 -of, day, which displays all nature by brightening the 

 azure of the heavens, and colouring all the horizon, we 

 should see nothing but an abyss of darkness, there being 

 nothing to reflect the soiar rays. The stars indeed 

 would be seen at noonday: but then those luminous 

 bodies, which now appear to be placed in a delightful 

 azure, would seem fastened on a dismal, mourning carpet. 



" But how does that fine azure depend on the atmos- 

 phere?" This will plainly appear, if it be considered, 

 what a quantity of rarefied water is suspended from the 

 top of the atmosphere to the bottom, And there is 

 never a greater quantity suspended there, than in the 

 fine days, when no clouds are to be seen. It is these 

 rarified waters, that intercept and reflect to us, the rays 

 reflected from the earth. And this prnr-igious mass of 

 \vaters, being a simple and uniform bodN, the colour of. 

 it is simple, and always the same. 



" But are these azure skies, which we confound with 

 the starry heaven, nothing more than a little air and* 

 water ] And what we took for the heaven, only a cover 



