90 



C* 



S' 



^ 



CHAPTER Y. 



PEEJUDICES WHICH HAVE RETAEDED THE PROGRESS OF 



GEOLOGY, 



THE 



•PREJUDICES 



ARISING FROM OUR PECULIAR POSITION AS INHABITANTS OF THE LAND 

 OTHERS OCCASIONED BY OUR NOT SEEING SUBTERRANEAN CHANGES NOW 



IN PROGRESS ALL THESE CAUSES COMBINE TO MAKE THE FORMER COURSE OF 



NATURE APPEAR DIFFERENT FROM TJIE PRESENT OBJECTIONS TO THE DOC- 

 TRINE THAT CAUSES SIMILAR IN KIND AND ENERGY TO THOSE NOW ACTING, 

 HAVE PRODUCED THE FORMER CHANGES OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE, CONSI- 

 DERED. 



If we reflect on the history of the progress of geology, as 



- 



explained in the preceding chapters, we perceive that there 

 have been great fluctuations of opinion respecting the nature 

 of the causes to which all former changes of the earth's 

 surface are referable. The first observers conceived the 



monuments 



which the geologist endeavours to decipher to 

 relate to an original state of the earth, or to a period when 

 there were causes in activity, distinct, in kind and degree, 



low constituting the economv of nature. These 



irom those 

 views were 



mod 



and some of them entirely 

 abandoned in proportion as observations were multiplied, and 



skilfully interpreted 



the sierns 



former mutatio 



Many appearances, which had for a long time been regarded 



as indicating mysterious 



and extraordinary agency, were 

 finally recognised as the necessary result of the laws now 



governing 



material 



and the discovery of this 

 unlooked-for conformity has at length induced some philo- 



sophers to infer, that, 



during- the 



ages 



contemplated 



m 



geology, there has never been any interruption to the 



agency of the same uniform laws of change. 



The same 



ma)' 



