^ 



'gi' 



ces 



5 



iio. 



r 



tat 



an. 

 de- 



) 



ble 



lof 

 ite- 

 ible 



wa- 



eni 



( 



.ing 

 the 



ur- 



ira 



hat 

 the 

 hat 



the 

 the 



HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



II 



fea, and, in the courfe of ages, would form beds, 

 lefs or more pure, according to the quantity of 

 earth and other fubftances depolited at the fame 

 time. . Thefe beds being confolidated and mi- 



r 



neralized by operations that are afterwards to 



be coniidered, have been converted into pit-coal, 

 the parts of which are impalpable, and retain 



r 



nothing of their primitive {lrud:ure *. 



r 



If, then, the formation of coal from animal 



and vegetable 



bodies be admitt 



i^ 



the 



gene- 



ral pofition which derives the origin of the 

 Itrata from the wafte of former land, as it is 

 applicable to all the kinds already enume- 

 rated, and of courfe to all thofe with which 

 they are alternated, comprehends a very large 

 portion of the earth's furface. It comprehends, 

 indeed, all the ftrata ufually diftinguiihed by 

 the name of Secondary ; but there is another 

 great divilion of the mineral kingdom, viz. thq 

 rocks, called Primiti've, which, as they are ne- 

 ver alternated with the fecondary, but are al- 

 ways inferior to them, mull be further exami- 

 ned, before we can decide whether the fame con- 

 cluiion extends to them or not. 



V. 



/ 



^1 



7. Here it mud be carefully obfervcd, that, 

 among the primary rocks, the granite is not 

 meant to be included, except where that Hone 

 is ilratified, and either coincides with veined 



granite 



* Note ii. 



