242 ^^ "f^E CRYSTALS IN LAVAS. 



ral galleries, from which they are broken off and Carried! 

 along by the lava that flows through them. Another phe- 

 nomenon indicates the same thing : this is the burning 

 places that manifest themselves at the bottom of the sea in 

 the environs of a volcano during an eruption, and which are 

 at the same time a sign, that the focus is not at a depth to 

 he called immense. I particularly remark this expression, 

 because from, this presumed depth have been deduced theo- 

 ries respecting the formation of the globe, that are destitute 

 of foundation. 

 Some deeper What in fact is the depth that may be Inferred from vol- 

 * ' canic phenomena, compared with the diameter and solidity 

 of the globe ? This depth is no doubt more or less, accord- 

 ing to the mass raised up by the volcano. Thus it is proba- 

 ble, that the foci of Etna, the peak of Teneriffe, and the 

 volcanoes of Peru, are deeper than those of Vesuvius, Vul- 

 cano, and Stromboli. This is all we can conclude ; and no- 

 thing respecting the origin of our globe, or the events that 

 have concurred in its formation. 

 We alter the «' Man separates, dissolves, brings together, and com- 

 rals" ° ""^^ bines minerals, and causes them to change their form." All 

 this is true : he does it by his solvents, and the fire of his 

 but cannot re furnaces; but it is not added, that there is no method, no 

 store them to g^.^ whatever, bv which he can reftore them to their state of 

 their primitive . ,. • tt • i i <> i • i • i 



state. mineralization. He is no more capable ot doing this, than 



of regenerating the plants he has burned and reduced to 

 ashes. We are very far indeed from being able to produce 

 any thing similar to the rocks, the crystals, the minerals of 

 our mountains. This single reflection overturns every sys- 

 tem, that ascribes th« formation of these substances to fire, 

 since all the operations of natural and artificial fire that we 

 know, and we can reason only from these, produce nothing^ 

 similar to them. 

 We should be These limits, which human means cannot prtss, should 

 cautious there- render us very circumspect concerning the rseults ascribed 

 r^r- our nieans *° them, slnce no one of the natural substances, that man 

 with those of destroys or alters the nature of, can reappear again, but by 

 nature. . following the laws and order established by the Creator from 



the origin of all things. 

 Limeitone . Mr. Fl. de Bellevue mentions a singular production of a 



lime- 



