414 ON SAKELN ISLAND, 



of subterranean fire. Perhaps, but a iew centu- 

 ries ago, it had not reared itself above the waves ; 

 but might have been gradually emerging from the 

 bottom of the ocean long before it became visi- 

 ble ; till at length it reached the surface, when the 

 air would naturally assist the operation of the fire 

 that had been struggling for ages to get vent, and 

 it would then burst forth. The cone or volcano 

 would rapidly increase in bulk, from the continual 

 discharge of lava and combustible matter; and the 

 more vioient eruptions which might have ensued at 

 times, when it would throw up its contents to a great- 

 er elevation and distance, might have produced that 

 circular and nearly equidistant ridge of land we see 

 around it. 



If this conjecture should gain credit, we may sup- 

 pose not only many islands, but a great portion of the 

 habitable globe, to have been thrown up by volcanos, 

 which are now mostly extinguished. Many hills and 

 islands now clothed with verdure, bear evident marks 

 of having once been in this state« A ground plan of 



Barren island would so exactly resemble some of the 

 lunar spots, as seen through a good telescope when 



their shadows are strong, that I cannot help thinking 

 there are also many more volcanos in the moon than 

 have yet been discovered by a celebrated modern as- 

 tronomer*. Those remakable valleys, or cavities, 

 discernible on her disk, have many of them a single 



* Herschsll, 



bill 



