48 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



and of its confolidation, Part. I. Chap. 8. of h 

 Theory of the Earth *. 



i notion, however, that coal is of veget; 



IS 



Th 



bl 



origin, IS not peculiar to this theory, but 



has been for fome 



the prevailing 



op 



Buffon fuppofes this mineral to be formed fi 



egetable and animal fubftanc 

 f which have been converted 



th 



the oil and fat 

 bitumen by 



6tion of acids f . A fundamental miftake 



however, is 



itted by th 



thor, and by 



M. Gensanne, (author of the natural hiftory of 

 Languedoc), on whofe obfervations he greatly re- 

 lies, in confidering coal as confifting of bitumen 



js omitting the only ingre- 



d 



ted to 

 nt efle 



rth. th 



charcoal 



tial to coal, namely the car 

 This may truly be confidered 



bon 



or 

 the 



effential part, becaufe coal may exiil with 

 bitumen, as in the inftance of blind 

 not without charcoal. 



Another theory of coal, very analog 

 Hutton's, is that of Arduino. 



but 



Dr 



profeffor of 



neralogy at Venice, in which h 



r. 



fuppofes it 



from ves^etable and animal remains from 



the land and fea, but chiefly from the 



;er {. 

 This 



* Vol. i. p. 558, &c. 



t Hift. Nat 



Mineraux, torn 



t 



Fifico-mineralogico del Sig-. Giov. Arduino 



Atti di Siena, torn. v. jp.328, 28i,& 



