398 ON THEORIES OF THE EARTH. 



But, commencing with the history of the earth before 

 the creation of the sun, he must be allowed to settle 

 this with a science of which he had probably not heard. 

 The continents became exposed by violent revolutions; 

 though all the changes now attributed to terrestrial 

 actions, took place beneath the sea. The anteconti- 

 nental strata had been deposited from solution, hori- 

 zontally; a mechanical deposition being impossible: 

 and the separation of the water and air from the earth 

 occurred from the introduction of new ingredients : all 

 this being " perfectly conformable to chemistry," and 

 explaining every thing. The elevation of strata being 

 impossible, their present positions arise from subsi- 

 dences; Occurring under the bed of the sea, and deter- 

 mined by certain caverns into which the parts fell: 

 while thfs " philosopher" does not see, that if elevation 

 was impossible, because the continents must have been 

 previously suspended over abysses, his own are in the 

 same predicament. But if he has a contrivance in cer- 

 tain " party walls," I must be excused from trying to 

 abridge what I cannot understand. In the literal, as 

 well as the metaphysical sense, it is a chaos of words 

 " hovering over the abyss of unideal vacancy." Never- 

 theless, the wind " in these caverns pent" met stones 

 attempting to enter them, which it exploded, " like 

 gunpowder;" whence the boulders of the Alps. Of 

 his retreats and inundations, I formerly said all that 

 was necessary. 



Kirwan has as little claim to originality: his de- 

 mands to notice are founded on his high tone, and 

 on his asserted chemical and geological knowledge. 

 His globe contained De Luc's caverns and Werner's 

 solution, or " chaotic fluid ;" while the crystallization 

 of the rocks produced a " stupendous conflagration," 

 splitting the earth, and forming the atmosphere. The 



