}sfatural History. 185 



-origin and history of our planet. By means of the 

 useful discoveries which these inquirers made, we 

 have been furnished with weapons for beating 

 down false theories, and with information enabling 

 us to pursue our investigations further, and with 

 more advantage. "^ In this magnificent display of 

 the internal arrangement of the globe,'* says Mr. 

 KiRWAN, many philosophical observers acquired 

 distinguished eminence from tedious, laborious, 

 painful, but successful exertions. Tilas, Gme- 

 LiN, Cronstedt, Ferber, Pallas, Charpentier, 

 Born, Werner, Arduino, DeLuc, Saussure, and 

 DoLOMiEU, are names consecrated to immortality.^ 



'' So numerous, indeed," says the same respect- 

 able writer, " have been the more modern geolo- 

 gical researches, that since the obscuration or ob- 

 literation of the primitive traditions, strange as it 

 may appear, no period has occurred so favourable 

 to the illustration of the original state of the globe, 

 as the present, though so far removed from it. At 

 no period has its surface been traversed in so many 

 different directions, or its shape and extent, under 

 Its different modifications of earth and water, been 

 so nearly ascertained, and the relative density of 

 the w^hole so accurately determined, its solid con- 

 stituent parts so exactly distinguished, their mutual 

 relation, both as to position and composition, so 

 clearly traced, or pursued to such considerable 

 depths, as within these last twenty-five years. 

 Neither have the testimonies that relate to it been 

 ever so critically examined and carefully weighed, 

 nor, consequently, so well understood, as within 

 the latter half of the past century.'' 



t Geological Essays. Preface. It Is a curlous fact, that whUc some of 

 these celebrated inquirers embraced geological principles unfriendly to re- 

 velation, they have all brought to light facts, and given views of the iwb*. 

 ject, which remarkably confirm the sacred history. 



7/ Ccolo^'ual Assays, p. 3,4. 



