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the nature of that process which has been instituted for their for- 

 mation. 



A careful investigation of the subject has led me to believe, that 

 the mineralization, or petrifaction as it is generally called, of vege- 

 table mater, is primarily dependent on that process, by which the 

 formation of bituminous substances is accomplished. To this pro- 

 cess I therefore necessarily call your attention. 



We have already seen, that vegetable matter, deprived of life, 

 suffers, on the surface of the earth, a certain decomposition, by 

 which some of its principles, becoming volatilized, are diffused in 

 the surrounding atmosphere, whilst others enter, on the spot, into 

 new combinations, and there form a substance called vegetable 

 mould, replete with all the principles necessary to yield the proper 

 pabula to a succeeding race of the same class of beings. But other, 

 and very different changes to those which take place on the surface, 

 were necessary to be decreed, for those vegetable substances which 

 are buried far beneath the surface of the earth. 



In some cases, it is highly presumptive to measure the wisdom and 

 providence of Omniscience, by our narrow judgments ; and it is bor- 

 dering on profanation to point out, as the wonderful contrivance of 

 the Deity, those arrangements which may be only the creatures of our 

 own fancy and imagination. But I trust that, in this conjecture, I do 

 not err. The path of nature appears here too plain to be mistaken. 

 The resolution of vegetable matter into mould fit for the future 

 growth of vegetables is the result of a design, the end of which is 

 evident. But when vegetable matter is deposited at depths lower 

 than the roots of vegetables ever reach, a conversion into a sub- 

 stance of this kind would be useless ; and nature, it must be remem- 

 bered does nothing in vain. Another process is therefore instituted ; 

 and instead of a substance being produced, calculated to promote 

 vegetation, where vegetation never takes place, another substance is 

 formed, totally different in its nature. 



