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before the deluge, better adapted for the mainte- 

 nance of animal life, accompanied, in all proba- 

 bility, with a salutary influence on the vegetable 

 world. If, on examining the remains found in 

 the detritum of the latest formation, we should 

 discover proofs that animals now confined to tro- 

 pical regions, for example, had been at the period 

 of the flood spread over the temperate zone that 

 creatures of a larger size than now exist on our 

 globe, then brouzed on its herbage, or devoured 

 its less powerful inhabitants and if, in addition 

 to this, it should appear that the earth was more 

 prolific, or nourished plants of more luxuriant 

 growth, we should then be in possession of a va- 

 .riety of facts, all confirmatory of each other, and 

 pointing to one conclusion, namely, that there 

 was, during the antediluvfan era, a vigour in the 

 powers which support organized existence, un- 

 known to the world in its present state ; and 

 hence we should derive a very powerful argu- 

 ment in favour of the credibility of the fact re- 

 corded in the Bible, which the infidel has held 

 up to such unsparing ridicule, that the life of 

 man was, in its primitive state, prolonged far 

 beyond the period which it can at present attain. 

 Now, that this state of things did actually ex- 

 ist, there are various and very remarkable indica- 

 tions. By the researches of geology, the original 

 existence of tropical plants and animals in our 

 temperate zones has been put beyond all dispute : 

 fossil remains of creatures of amazing size, the 

 species of which are now extinct, and of gi- 



