II. Observations on Granite. By James Hutton, M. D. 

 F. R. S. Edin. and Member of the Royal Academy of Agri- 

 culture at Paris. 



[Read Jan, 4. 1790.] 



SINCE reading the paper upon the theory of the earth*, I have 

 been employed in examining many parts of this country, 

 in order to enquire into the natural hiftory of granite. In this 

 undertaking, I have fucceeded beyond my moft flattering ex- 

 pectations ; and I am now to communicate to this Society the 

 refult of my obfervations. 



In the paper juft referred to, it was maintained, from many 

 different arguments, that all the folid ftrata of the earth had 

 been confolidated by means of fubterraneous heat, foftening 

 the hard materials of thofe bodies ; and that in many places, 

 thofe confolidated ftrata had been broken and invaded by huge 

 mafles of fluid matter fimilar to lava, but, for the moft part, 

 perfectly diftinguifhable from it. Granite alfo was confidered 

 there as a body which had been certainly confolidated by heat > 

 and which had, at leaft in fome parts, been in the ftate of per- 

 fect fufion, and certain fpecimens were produced, from which I 

 drew an argument in fupport of this conclufion. 



At that time, however, I was not perfectly decided in my opi- 

 nion concerning granite ; whether it was to be confidered as a 

 body which had been originally ftratified by the collection of its 

 different materials, and afterwards confolidated by the fufion of 



thofe 



* Vid. Tranf. R. S. Edin. vol. L p. 209. Phyf. CI. 



