Xl PROCEEDINGS OE THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



theory, to describe the beginning of things. I take things such as 

 I find them at present ; and from these I reason with regard to that 

 which must have been"*. 



And again : — " A theory of the earth, which has for object 

 truth, can have no retrospect to that which had preceded the present 

 order of the world ; for this order alone is what we have to reason 

 upon ; and to reason without data is nothing but delusion. A theory, 

 therefore, which is hmited to the actual constitution of this earth 

 cannot be allowed to proceed one step beyond the present order of 

 things "t. 



And so clear is he that no causes besides such as are now in ope- 

 ration are needed to account for the character and disposition of the 

 components of the crust of the earth, that he says, broadly and 



boldly : — " There is no part of the earth which has not had 



the same origin, so far as this consists in that earth being collected 

 at the bottom of the sea, and afterwards produced, as land, along 

 with masses of melted substances, by the operation of mineral 

 causes" $. 



But other influences were at work upon Hutton beside those of 

 a mind logical by nature, and scientific by sound training ; and the 

 peculiar turn which his speculations took seems to me to be unintel- 

 ligible unless these be taken into account. The arguments of the 

 Prench astronomers and mathematicians, which, at the end of the 

 last century, were held to demonstrate the existence of a compensa- 

 ting arrangement among the celestial bodies, whereby all perturba- 

 tions eventually reduced themselves to oscillations on each side of a 

 mean position, and the stability of the solar system was secured, 

 had evidently taken strong hold of Hutton's mind. 



In those oddly constructed periods which seem to have prejudiced 

 many persons against reading his works, but which are full of that 

 peculiar, if unattractive, eloquence which flows from mastery of the 

 subject, Hutton says : — 



^' We have now got to the end of our reasoning ; we have no 

 data further to conclude immediately from that which actually is. 

 But we have got enough ; we have the satisfaction to find, that in 

 nature there is wisdom, system, and consistency. For having, in the 

 natural history of this earth, seen a succession of worlds, we may from 

 this conclude that there is a system in nature ; in Hke manner as, 

 from seeing revolutions of the planets, it is concluded, that there is a 

 system by which they are intended to continue those revolutions. But 

 if the succession of worlds is established in the system of nature, it 

 is in vain to look for anything higher in the origin of the earth. The 

 result, therefore, of this physical inquiry is, that we find no vestige 

 of a beginning, — no prospect of an end"§. 



Yet another influence worked strongly upon Hutton. Like most 

 philosophers of his age, he coquetted with those final causes which 

 have been named barren virgins, but which might be more fitly 

 termed the Jietairce of philosophy, so constantly have they led men 



* The Theory of the Earth, vol. i. p. 173, note. t lb. p. 281. 



\ lb. p. 371. § lb. p. 200. 



