A HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



be but little removed from the present state of things. 

 The Mosaic history places this beginning of man at no 

 great distance ; and there has not been found, in natural 

 history, any document by which high antiquity might 

 be attributed to the human race. But this is not the 

 case with regard to the inferior species of animals, 

 particularly those which inhabit the ocean and its 

 shores. We find in natural history monuments which 

 prove that those animals had long existed; and we 

 thus procure a measure for the computation of a period 

 of time extremely remote, though far from being pre- 

 cisely ascertained. 



"In examining things present, we have data from 

 which to reason with regard to what has been; and 

 from what actually has been we have data for conclud- 

 ing with regard to that which is to happen hereafter. 

 Therefore, upon the supposition that the operations of 

 nature are equable and steady, we find, in natural ap- 

 pearances, means for concluding a certain portion of 

 time to have necessarily elapsed in the production of 

 those events of which we see the effects. 



" It is thus that, in finding the relics of sea animals of 

 every kind in the solid body of our earth, a natural 

 history of those animals is formed, which includes a 

 certain portion of time; and for the ascertaining this 

 portion of time we must again have recourse to the 

 regular operations of this world. We shall thus arrive 

 at facts which indicate a period to which no other 

 species of chronology is able to remount. 



" We find the marks of marine animals in the most 

 solid parts of the earth, consequently those solid parts 

 have been formed after the ocean was inhabited by 



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