THEORY OP THE EARTH. 63 



time the bottom of the ocean, throwing it up in 

 mountains and hills on the primitive valleys and 

 plains of the continent.* 



A fifth conceives the various fragments of which 

 the surface of the earth is composed to have fallen 

 successively from heaven, in the manner of meteoric 

 stones, and alleges that they still retain the marks 

 of their origin in the unknown species of animals 

 whose exuviae they contain.t 



By a sixth, the globe is supposed to be hollow, 

 and to contain in its cavity a nucleus of loadstone, 

 which is dragged from one pole of the earth to the 

 other by the attraction of comets, changing the 

 centre of gravity, and consequently hurrying the 

 great body of the ocean along with it, so as alter- 

 nately to drown the two hemispheres. J 



20. Diversities of the Geological Systems, and 

 their causes. 



We might have cited twenty other systems, as 

 different from one another as these just now enu- 

 merated. And, to prevent mistake, we wish it to 

 be distinctly understood, that it is by no means 



* Dolomieu, in the Journal de Physique. 



f M. M. de Marschall, in Researches respecting the Origin and De- 

 velopement of the present State of the Earth. Geissen, 1802. 



t Bertrand, Periodical Renewal of the Terrestrial Continents. Ham- 

 burgh, 1799. 



