14 



ADDITIONAL NOTES. III. 



Next when imprison'd fires in central caves 



Burst the firm earth, and drank the headlong waves. CANTO I. 1. 302. 



THE great and repeated explosions of volcanoes are shown by Mr. 

 Mitchell in the Philosoph. Transact, to arise from their communica-, 

 tion with the sea, or with rivers, or inundations; and that after a 

 chink or crack is made, the water rushing into an immense burning 

 cavern, and falling on boiling lava, is instantly expanded into steam, 

 and produces irresistible explosions. 



As the first volcanic fires had no previous vent, and were probably 

 more central, and larger in quantity, before they burst the crust of the 

 earth then intire, and as the sea covered the whole, it must rapidly 

 sink down into every opening chink; whence these primeval earth- 

 quakes were of much greater extent, and of much greater force, than 

 those which occur in the present era. 



It should be added, that there may be other elastic vapours pro- 

 duced by great heat from whatever will evaporate, as mercury, and 

 even diamonds; which may be more elastic, and consequently exert 

 greater force than the steam of water even though heated red hot. 

 Which may thence exert a sufficient power to raise islands and conti- 

 nents, and even to throw the moon from the earth. 



If the moon be supposed to have been thus thrown out of the great 

 cavity which now contains the South Sea, the immense quantity of 

 water flowing in from the primeval ocean, which then covered the 

 earth, would much contribute to leave the continents and islands, 

 which might be raised at the same time above the surface of the water. 

 In later days there are accounts of large stones falling from the sky, 

 which may have been thus thrown by explosion from some distant 

 earthquake, without sufficient force to cause them to circulate round 

 the earth, and thus produce numerous small moons or satellites. 



