Natural Histori), 161 



phcre and tail for a considerable time, and depo-* 

 sited vast quantities of vapours on its surface, 

 which produced violent and long continued rains; 

 and, finally, that this vast body of v^aters was re- 

 moved by a mighty wind, which dried up a large 

 portion, and forced the rest into the abyss from 

 which it had been drawn, leaving only enough 

 to form the ocean and rivers which we now be- 

 hold. 



The fanciful and untenable theories which have 

 been briefly stated, served little other purpose than 

 to amuse the curious, and excite to new, and, for 

 the most part, unsuccessful modes of speculation on 

 this interesting branch of natural history. Ac- 

 cordingly, the eighteenth century has teemed with 

 plans, almost numberless, for solving the pheno* 

 mena, and elucidating the internal structure and 

 history of the earth. These plans, to say nothing 

 of the impious nature and tendency of some of 

 them, have, generally, rather resembled philoso- 

 phical dreams, than the conceptions of waking 

 and sober reason. Their authors, in forming- 

 them, have been too often guided by imagination 

 more than judgment; and have laboured rather to 

 support a favourite hypothesis, than to consult the 

 voice of authentic history, or patiently to examine 

 the materials and structure of the fabric which 

 they undertook to describe. It may not be im- 

 proper to take a brief review of some of the more 

 conspicuous, among the great number, which, at 

 different periods of the century under considera- 

 tion, and in different parts of the world, have been 

 received by philosophers. 



At an early period of the century, the celebrated 

 John Hutchinson, whose principles of philoso- 

 phy were mentioned in a former chapter, formed a 

 theory gf the earthy which he professed tg derive 



