420 ON THE UNIVERSAL DELUGE. 



of shell-fishes, were enveloped in the precipitates ? Or, 

 did animal life continue only during the state of solu- 

 tion ; and were the myriads of aquatic animals found in 

 beds of rocks buried in them alive ? Many naturalists 

 appear to entertain the latter opinion, from observing 

 the agonies of death depicted in the distorted position of 

 fishes in copper-slate, or from deriving the bituminous 

 properties of stink-stone, as well as of marl, from the 

 decomposition of animal bodies, of which such numerous 

 vestiges are extant in these beds ? In this way a plausi- 

 ble explanation is given of the phenomena of a former 

 world that has perished. How, then, do they explain the 

 constant appearance of so many species, which have 

 continued without interruption for such an infinite length 

 of time ? Have these species been propagated by indi- 

 viduals who accidentally escaped destruction : or, Does a 

 new race continually spring up again ? But laying 

 aside the difficulty of this explanation, the violent de- 

 struction of so many races of animals, is scarcely consist- 

 ent with the general order of the universe, according to 

 which, we behold every animal occupying its proper ele- 

 ment, and fulfilling its particular destiny. We, there- 

 fore, involuntarily revert to the opinion, that those crea- 

 tures, whose remains are preserved in beds of rocks, 

 have lived continually in the sea, out of which the rocks 

 were precipitated, in the same manner as the analogous 

 species now living in the sea become enveloped in depo- 

 sits still taking place, although on a comparatively small 

 scale. 



What has just been said does not entitle us to admit 

 that the various parts of the earth have been, from time 

 to time, overflowed with water. Yet are there other ap- 



