4 PHILOSOPHY. OF ZOOLOGY. 
between the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms ; and the vast 
interval by which Man is separated from his Maker, is oceu- 
pied by different orders of superior intelligences. 
All this appears at first sight plausible, and in some re- 
spects in conformity with those arrangements of Nature 
which we witness taking place in the subordinate divisions 
of animated beings. But when we examine attentively the 
characters which distinguish inorganic from organized be- 
ings, and animals from vegetables, we perceive, at once, 
that there are intervening chasms by which different parts 
of the chain are separated; nor can the most acute ob- 
server detect on either side the remaining portions entire, 
although he may be able to collect a few fragments and 
disjointed. links. 
I. Independence of the different parts of Inorganic Be- 
ing's.—The different parts of an inorganic body enjoy an in- 
dependent existence, while the parts of a body belonging to 
the organized kingdom, depend on their relative situation 
for the continuance of their structure and properties. The 
value of this distinctive mark will appear more obvious 
by the following examples. If we remove, from a bed of 
basalt, one of the jointed columns of which it consists, 
neither the bed nor the column suffer by the disjunction ; 
and the latter retains the same form and structure as be- 
fore the separation. If the jomts be divided from one an- 
other, each joint will continue to preserve its character, al- 
though no longer in connection with those of which the 
column originally consisted. If the jomt be split into a 
number of pieces, each fragment will be found to preserve 
its form and structure as permanently as the concretion 
from which it was detached. How widely different are the 
appearances exhibited by an organized body, when sub- 
jected to similar treatment ! 
