388 APPENDIX. NOTES. 



would have been carried by it backwards and forwards 

 till they were deposited some here and some there ; some 

 upon mountain summits, 1 and others at different heights 

 ruled by the circumstances of the earth's surface and the 

 action of the subsiding waters. Few, indeed, would be im- 

 bedded in their native country, except those that perished, 

 as above mentioned, in caverns ; though probably, in many 

 cases, those of the same species might congregate, and so 

 floating off together might be buried together. It has 

 been remarked that no fossil elephants have been found 

 in the countries that those animals now frequent. It 

 seems, therefore, by no means certain that the gigantic 

 Saurians now found in our southern coasts, or that the 

 Mammoths or other gigantic Pachyderms of Northern 

 Russia or Nova Zembla, were really natives of those 



What Geologist, then, however practised, however 

 deeply conversant with his subject, can estimate and 

 exactly calculate the action and operation of these mighty 

 waters, both during their rise, prevalence, and subsidence 

 for so extended a period; especially when those of an 

 Almighty superintending and directing Cause, upon the 

 whole body of means that he employed to accomplish his 

 purposes, and execute his decrees with regard both to the 

 destruction and renovation of our globe, are duly con- 

 sidered ? 



By what I have here argued I do not mean to contend 

 that there may not have been many partial convulsions 

 which may have produced very important changes in 

 different countries of our globe : it is not moreover at all 

 improbable that while its population was concentrated, 



1 See above, p. 374. 



