^ 



5 



2 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



/ 



peculiar to the beds of rivers, or the fliores of 

 continents, and as hardly ever formed at great 

 depths under the furface of the fea. It Ihould 

 feem, then, that the primary fchiftus, after at- 

 taining its ered polition, had been raifed up to 

 the furface, where this gravel was formed; 

 and from thence had been let down again to 

 the depths of the ocean, where the fecondary 

 ftrata were depofited on it. Such alternate 

 elevations and depreffions of the bottom of 

 the fea, however extraordinary they may feem, 

 will appear to make a part of the fyllem of the 

 mineral kingdom, from other phenomena here- 

 after to be defcribed. 



45. On the whole, therefore, by comparing 

 the adual polition of the ftrata, their ereftnefs, 

 their curvature, the interruptions of their con- 

 tinuity, and the tranfverfe ftratification of the 

 fecondary in refped of the primary, with the 

 regular and level fituation which the fame ftra- 

 ta mufl have originally poflefled, we have a 

 complete demonltration of their having been 

 dilturbed, torn afunder, and moved an 



} 



gularly 



by a force that has, in general, been direded 

 from below upwards. In eflablifliing this con- 

 clulion, we have reafoned more from the fa«* 

 which relate to the angular elevation of the ftr^' 

 ta, than from thofe which relate to their au- 



foliite elevation, or their tranllation to a greater 



diltance 



