3 



c5 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



ing the fufion of this foffil, referred to above 

 §75. A flrong prejudice againft the produc- 

 tion of any thing like a real (tone by means of 

 fufion, had arifen, even among thofe mineralo- 

 gies, who were every daj witnefles of the llony 

 appearance affumed by volcanic lava. They 

 ftill maintained, on 



imperfed experimei 



the authority of th 



that nothing but glafs 



1, 



y 



can ever be obtained by the melting of earths or 



of Hones, in whatever manner they are combi- 

 ned. • 



r 



An ingenious naturalift, after defcribing a 

 block of bafaltes, in which he difcovered fuch 

 appearences, as inclined him to admit its igne- 

 ous confolidation, rejeds that hypothecs, mere- 

 ly from the imaginary inability of fire to give 

 to any fubllance a ftony charader : " Quelque 

 melange," fays he, " de terres que Ton fuppofe, 

 quelque foit le degre de feu que Pon imagine, 

 quelque foit le tems que Pon emploie, il eft tres 

 certain que I'on n'obtiendra pas, par le feul fluidc 



J 



igne, ni bafake, ni rien qui lui relTemble*." 



Sir James HalPs experiments have complete- 

 ly demonftrated the contrary of what is here 



r 



afferted ; they have added much to the evidence 

 of the Huttonian fyflem ; and, independently of 



all 



* Journal de Phyf, tom»xlix. (1799)' P' $6 



Of 



