mib 



e 



are 



alf, 



c 



^^§^ pet. 

 careou 



t^e lea 

 ■ies of 



^01 



vei 



^ 



often i 



hiftu 



IP, 



s, anc 



accurate!) 



^re all re 



he latter o: 

 )m the k 



ir memon 



/• ' I 



-coal istb 



d extenfni 



from til 



V 



ilronge 



m 



^v 



ith 



an 



entioi 



tboff 



d tba' 



r 



P 

 that 



apP 



erfeal! 



thef 



ear 



t( 



the 



fibro«^ 



n 



the 



feiii' 



flail 



ccs. 



t 



HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



9 



llrua 



Hate 



Th 



fiances, the appearances of vegetable 

 may be traced through all poffible gradat 

 down to an evanefcei 

 undoubtedly the m( 

 coal does not then, 

 known its vegetable 



ft 



:omm 

 bare 



fped 



laft ftate is 

 d though 

 on. make 



yet, if 



connedion 



th the other terms of the feries 



may call them j if we 



fider that th 



two extremes, viz. coal, with the vegetable 



ilrud 



animal re. ftrua 



perfed: 

 vilible. 



d coal 



th 



any 



fuch 



ften found in the fam 



in 



g 



beds 



d 



f we 



rk. that 



gh all thefe gradations coal 



fame 



hemical elements, and yield 



lyfis, bitum 



d charcoal, combined, with 



nature b a greater or lefs proportion of earth : if 



thefe circumll 



into 



we 



doubt that this foffil is every where the fame, 

 and derives its origin from the trees and plants 

 that grew on the furface of the earth before the 

 formation of the prefent land. 



6. Dr Hutton has further obferved, that if 

 thofe ancient continents were at all fimilar to 

 the prefent, we can be at no lofs to account for 

 the want of any dillind mark of vegetable or- 

 ganization in the greater part of the coal ftrata. 

 It is plain, that the daily wafte of animal and 

 vegetable fubftances on the furface of the earth, 

 p^iuft difengage a great .quantity of oily as well 



i 



as 



