49 S 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



interior 



land, till it meet the fea ag 



The figure bounded by this horizontal furface, 

 niay properly be called the Jlatical figure of the 



earth. 



When it is faid that the figure of the earth 



it is the llaticaL not the 



IS 



oblate fpheroid 



adual fig 

 grees of 



hich is meant : and th 



de 



merid 



hich allronomers mea- 



r 



:ies of the 



fure, are alfo referred to the fuperfi 



former. 



436. Suppofe now a body like the earth, but 



with its adual figure infinitely more irregular, 

 having a fea circumfufed around it, the water 

 •will defcend into the loweft fituations, and will 

 fo arrange itfelf, that its furface lliall be per- 

 pendicular every where to the plumb-line, or 



to the diredion of gravity 

 it can remain at reft 

 perficies v/hich th 



hich ft ate only 



Th 



fig 



of the fu 



fea muft thus take will be 



of 



continuous curvature, and will 



to itfelf j though it may, if the aftual figure 

 is very irregular, be far either from a fphere 

 or a fpheroid. If, however, we fuppbfe the 



folid par 

 or worn 



f this mafs fubjed 



be dilTolved 



ay 



d carried down to th 



there will be a tendency to g 



to th 



hole 



body the fame figure that it would have aflumed,, 



if it had been entirely fluid, and fuhjed to the 



laws 



la 



hi 



at 



b 



in 



1 



b< 



tr 



a( 

 ft 



ri 

 ti 



d 

 h 

 



t: 



^ 



/ 



