224 THE EARTH'S INTERIOR. 



liit at last upon some spring or other, running 

 tlirongli a vein in tlie lower strata. Hence the 

 conception of " the waters that are under the 

 earth," admitted as a mere current expression into 

 the text of Scripture — much as other current ex- 

 l)ressions, like "sunrise" and "sunset," have been 

 si)nihirly admitted into the same text — came to 

 have a wide vogue, and to be regarded as possess- 

 ing some sort or shadow of scientific importance. 

 In reality, of course, the water that rises more or 

 less iu wells is merely the same which fell as rain 

 on the adjacent country, or on neigliboring hill- 

 tops, and which, after sinking in and finding its 

 level downward, is tapped somewhere at a point 

 below its highest surface, so as to fill a well, or 

 even, in certain circumstances, to rise as a free 

 spring or fountain to the toj) of the boring. But 

 the total amount of water thus existing in a free 

 condition within the earth's body at any given 

 time must be but a mere insignilicant fraction ; 

 the vastly greater part of the whole sum on the 

 face of the earth must always be that collected in 

 our oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. 



As soon, however, as the true position of our 

 earth in the solar system came to be generally 

 recognized by scientilic thinkers, it became clear 

 at once that the notion of an aqueous interior 

 could not for a moment be accepted as possible ; 

 to use a convenient and appropriate colloquialism, 



