428 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



'4 



the natural hiftory of the earth 



Rivers," fay 



this author, ** do not carry into the fea the fpoils 

 which they bring from the hmd, but employ them 



the formation of deltas of low alluvial land 



th 



g to what Major R 



d." The fad of the formation of ^^/. 



fi 



th 



s 



hich the rivers carry from 



the 



the earth's axis, will meet the fuperilcies of the fea, 

 (fuppofing that fuperficies continued inland from the 

 Mediterranean), muft be about 2382 toifes in horizontal 

 diftance, or about 2~ minutes fouth of the fummit, that 

 is, in the parallel of 45^ 46-^; and if this parallel be 

 continued all round the globe, the points of the earth's 



more 



5 



from the earth's axis than the top of Mount Blanc h 



whereas all the points to the north of it are nearer to 



that axis. A ftone, therefore, from the top of Mount 



Blanc, if carried any where to the fouth of the abov^ 



parallel, wall retard the earth's diurnal motion •, but if 



carried any where to the north of the fame line, will ac- 

 celerate that motion. 



The fame quantity of matter, however, parried m 

 eq^ual diftance toward the pole, and toward the equator^ 

 from any point, will lofe more velocity in the former 

 cafe than it will gain in the latter, as ealily follows 

 from the nature of circle. Therefore, fuppofing an 

 fequal difperfion of the detritus of a mountain in all di- 

 regions, the parts that go toward the pole will moil di- 

 :fturb the diurnal motion ; and hence a balance on their 

 fide, or in favour of acceleration, as already obfervcd^^ 



