ON THE UNIVERSAL DELUGE. 431 



concerning the formation of the earth, there is no one 

 which can make such important revelations to us as the 

 oracle of the age of mountains. These operations at the 

 earth's surface generally appear to have produced its pre- 

 sent figure, and to have designed it for the habitation of 

 numerous organic beings. This appears as early as a 

 suitable element occurred ; first, in water, then in land 

 animals ; and, like the formation of rocks, we observe a 

 regular succession of organic formations, the later always 

 descending from the earlier, down to the present inhabi- 

 tants of the earth, and to the last created being who was 

 to exercise dominion over them. But here occurs this 

 important distinction : the organic world with youthful 

 vigour renews itself daily, and decomposes its materials 

 only to reunite them by fresh combinations in uninter- 

 rupted succession ; while the powers of the inorganic 

 world appear almost extinguished. Though this course 

 of nature is manifest to our own observation, her resour- 

 ces and progress are, on the contrary, more concealed ; 

 and we can hardly lift the veil which conceals her, unless 

 we follow Bacon's advice, Turn back from rash theories, 

 and follow observation and experience. 



We have hitherto endeavoured to shew that incontro- 

 vertible geognostic facts indicate an alternate rising and 

 falling of the water which covered the earth's surface, 

 but that they were not of a kind to justify the notion of 

 violent revolutions, or of sudden and universal eruptions 

 of the sea ; and that, therefore, such deluges as the Mo- 

 saic deluge, recorded in the traditions of nations, were 

 not revolutions of this description. If, according to the 

 supposition of Cuvier, the earth's surface inhabited at 

 the commencement of the latter deluge has become the 



