224 KcUural Ilislory. [Chap. IIL 



Mr. Williams Supposes, that the superficial parts 

 of the earth were, originally mixed with water into 

 a fluid or chaotic mass. All the regular strata 

 were formed by the flow of the tides successively 

 spreading out the deposited matters on a large ho- 

 rizontal plane. The granites and other stones^ 

 ^\ hieh he does not consider as stratified^ subsided 

 when the water was in some degree of rest, as at 

 tlie hi oiliest of the tides^ or where local obstruc- 

 tions produced stagnation. When the whole sur- 

 face was in a fluid state, the tides necessarily rose 

 to a prodigious height, several miles higher than 

 the tops of any of our mountains. The mountains 

 of granite, which are uniform throughout^ must 

 have subsided in one tide. The tides were highest^ 

 and had tlieir resting places on the two opposite 

 parts of the globe, which are now the continents 5 

 and their direction, on different parts of the globe, 

 was such as we now find that of the strata to be. 

 lie maintained, further, that the interior body of 

 the earth was formed in the same manner^ prior to. 

 the superficial parts. From various causes, it was 

 full of inequalities. It contahied much Avater, both 

 in the composition of the not yet consolidated strata,^ 

 and in separate cavities; so that when the super- 

 ficial strata were laid between the tides, and the 

 ocean began to retreat into its present bed, the 

 weight of these superincumbent strata forced out 

 tlic water imprisoned below them. These strata 

 tlicmselves, as yet soft and flexible, were, in many 

 cases, bent and broken; cracks were occasioned by 

 their contraction in drying, which cracks were in- 

 creased by the inclination of the strata in dilfcrent 

 'w'ays, and were widest at the top; and the whole 



