ITS PROPERTIES AND DIVISIONS. 315 



the water being continually running o'i, is supplied by new fresh river 

 water, in which the saline particles are so few as by no means to be 

 perceived.*' 



" Now if this be the true reason of the saltness of these lakes, it is 

 not improbable but that the ocean itself is become salt from the 

 same cause, and we are therein 7 furnished with an argument for es. 

 timatiug the duration of all things, from an observation of the in- 

 crement of saltness in their waters. For if it be observed what 

 quantity of salt is at present contained in a certain weight of the 

 water, of the Caspian Sea, for example, taken at a certain place, in 

 the driest weather : and after some centuries of years the same weight 

 of water, taken in the same place, and under the same circum- 

 stances* be found to contain a sensibly greater quantity ot salt than 

 at the time of the first experiment, we may by the rule of propor- 

 tion, make an estimate of the whole time wherein the water would 

 acquire its present degree of saltness. 



" And this argument would be the more conclusive, if by a like ex. 

 periment a similar increase in the salt ness of the ocean should be 

 observed : for that, after the same manner as aforesaid, receives in, 

 numerable rivers, all which deposit their saline particles therein ; and 

 are again supplied, as I have elsewhere showed, by the vapours of 

 the ocean, which rise from it in atoms of pure water, without the 

 least admixture of salt. But the rivers in their lonj; passage over 

 the earth imbibe some of its saline particles, though in so small a 

 quantity as not to be perceived, unless in these their depositories 

 after a long tract of time. And if, on repeating ilie experiment, 

 after another equal number of ages, it shall be found that the salt, 

 ness is further increased with the same increment as before, than 

 what is now proposed as hypothetical, would appear little less than 

 demonstrative. But since this argument can be of no use to ourselves, 

 it requiring very great intervals of time to come to our conclusion, 

 it were to be wished that the ancient Greek and Latin authors had 

 delivered down to us the degree of the saltness of the sea, as it was 

 about two thousand years ago : for then it cannot be doubted but 

 that the difference between what is now found and what then was, 

 would become very sensible. I recommend it therefore to the So. 

 ciety, as opportunity shall offer, to procure the experiments to be 

 made of the present degree ot saltness of the ocean, and of as many 



