

Id 



I 



mil. 



I 



^aiit 



d 



t 



h 



c: 



oi'i 



pa 



■yc( 



IS!? 



i 



ip 



. .!f 



tit 



^ ' 



'I' 



'(J 



I v 



/ 



HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



155 



which has lately been found to contain carbon, 

 very frequently enters into its compofition. 



My 



dds he) is, that 



ftrata of coal, as well as the mountains in which 



they are found 

 grarion of prir 



r 



their origin to the difinte- 

 mountains, either now to- 



tally deflroyed, or whofe height and bulk, 

 confequence of fuch difintegration, are conlid 



bly leflened 



d that thefe rocks 



itly 



deftroyed, contained mod probably a far larger 

 proportion of carbon and petrol than thofe of 



the fame d 



novv' 



fince their 



difintegration took place at fo early a period *. 



" By the decompofition of thefe mountains, the 

 feltfpar and hornblend were converted into clay; 

 the bituminous particles, thus fet free, reunited 



d were ab for bed 



partly by the arg 



but 



hiefly by the carbonaceous matter, with which 



th ey h 



th 



greateft affinity 



Th 



carb 



d bituminous particles, thus united, being 



difficultly mifcible w 



d fpecifically 



affes, and formed the lowell 



heavier, funk through the moift, pulpy, incoh 

 rent argillaceous n 

 Itratum," &c. 



Such is Mr Kirwan's theory of the formation 

 of coal, and nobody I think will dilpute the 

 originality of it. 



143. To 



* Geol. Effajs. p j28, &c. 



