-i 



HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



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bottom of the fea, and colledled from the wafte 

 of rocks ftill more ancient. When, therefore, 

 he confirmed to the received language of mine- 

 ralogills, by calling thefe ftrata primitive, he 

 only meant to defcribe them as more ancient 

 than any other ftrata now exifling, but not as 

 more ancient than any that ever had exifted. 

 They are dillinguifhed, in his fyftem, by the 



4 



name of Primary, rather than of Primitive flra- 

 ta. 



That the account now given of their origin 

 is well founded, may be proved by unqueftion- 

 able fadls. For, firft, though, agreeably to the 



obfervation juil: made, the ancient ftrata do but 

 rarely contain any remains of organized bodies, 

 they are not entirely deftitute of them. DiiTer- 

 ent places in this ifland have been pointed out 

 by Dr Hutton, where marine objects have been 

 difcovered in primary limeftone, either by him- 

 felf or others, and it would not be difficult to 



add more inftances of the fame kind *. 



In 



Dauphiny, coal, which is certainly a derivative 

 fubftance, has been found among mountains 

 which have a title to the character of primitive, 

 fuch as no one will difpute. Thefe fads put 

 the compofition of fuch rocks from loofe 

 materials, beyond all doubt, and alfo prove 

 their formation to be pofterior to the exiftence 



of 



* Note rv. 



