166 



melting of the ices, or some other cause, it is immate- 

 rial ; by far the greatest quantity of water flowed 

 into the Atlantic ocean, and continued so to do, with 

 increasing rapidity, until the continent was partly over- 

 flowed by its waters, and those of the Arctick sea, no 

 longer restricted by their natural boundaries, overrun 

 the whole continent from north to south. 



At the same time, and from the same cause, and 

 most probably too, for the same purpose, a correspond- 

 ing current was flowing from the south towards the 

 north pole ; but being unrestricted in its course and 

 sphere of action, and at liberty to flow in any direc- 

 tion, its force was weakened, and being opposed by the 

 more powerful current of the Atlantic, which was lim- 

 ited between three great continents, it was divided ; 

 a part flowing into the Pacific, and the other into the 

 Indian Ocean. As the water increased in quantity, 

 the currents were also increased in rapidity, still, having 

 no influence on the unequal current of the Atlantic, it con- 

 tinued to urge its force into the Pacific, and Indian 

 Oceans, Thus, while the current from the North Pole, 

 through the Atlantic ocean, was overrunning all the 

 continent of America, east of the Snowy or Kocky Moun- 

 tains, and a part of Europe, the currents from the 

 South Pole were overrunning all Asia and a part of 

 America. 



It now remains to describe the operations of these 

 opposite currents, and to point out their visible effects. 

 But how vain, and how feeble the efforts, even of the 

 utmost stretch of human imagination, in attempting to 



