242 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



piece of native iron being as much a proof of 

 fuiion as the greateft ; and the fpecimen of 

 Margraaf being juft as conclufive in favour of 

 the Huttonian Theory, as thofe of Pallas or De 

 Cells, fuppoling their reality as mineral produc- 

 tions to be completely eftabliflied. A metal 



ever fo fmall a qiian- 



malieable 



d ductile, in 



ty, cannot be the refult of precipitati 



from 



ftruum 



thout a very particular comb 



of circumft 



Such a metal 



the 



other hand, can be readily produced by 



fufion ; 

 parts of 



at here the negative and affirmative 

 indudive argument may both be 



regarded as complete. 



214. Mr Kirwan, in order to account for the 

 magnitude of the two large fpecimens mentioned 

 above, fuppofes, that fmall pieces of native iron 

 (about the formation of which he appears to 

 have no difficulty), have been originally agglu- 

 tinated by petroleum, and left bare, when the 

 furrounding llony or earthy mafles either wi- 

 thered or were wafhed off*. This is no doubt 

 the moft fingular of all the opinions which have 



on the fubjecfl : and, as it bor- 



been advanced 



rows nothing from analogy, it admits of no 

 proof, and requires no refutation. None but a 



ehemift of eminence could have ventured with 



impunity 



* Geol. ElTays, p. 405 



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