20 



,vhom are Celcius, Playfair, and particularly Mr. 

 Jameson, who says, " That the water of the ocean has 

 diminished and is still diminishing, can scarcely be 

 doubted.''* 



This opinion, in all probability, must have been re- 

 gulated by some obvious local change, which has 

 taken place ; or some inroads that have been made by 

 terra firma, upon the ancient limits of the ocean, with- 

 in the knowledge of man ; and no country or place on 

 the face of this globe, affords stronger grounds for pre- 

 sumption, or in fact a more positive proof in favour of 

 such an opinion, than the alluvial district which lies 

 along upon, and constitutes the present shores of the 

 Atlantic ocean for nearly the entire extent of the Unit- 

 ed States. 



But as strong as they are, or however formidable 

 and rapid may have been the strides of the alluvial 

 formation upon old Neptune's wide domains, it by no 

 means constitutes a proof of the actual retreat of the 

 sea ; and I much doubt whether a case in point, really 

 exists on the face of the globe, that is calculated to 

 prove that there is one square mile less of superficies 

 on the face of the ocean, than there has been at any 

 time subsequent to the subsidence of the general de- 

 luge. On the contrary, I am iuclined to believe, that 

 no decree ever promulgated to man, through the me- 

 dium of Holy Writ, has been more generally exe- 

 cuted or fulfilled , nor any command, which that 



* Notes to Cuvier's theory, page 214, American edit. 



