30 The Origin of the 



flint to lay hold of and find an entrance by. Thus, 

 burning out the vegetable substance the flint has 

 taken its place ; and the soil which surrounded the 

 vegetable being incombustible has limited its further 

 progress, and served as a perfect mould when the 

 combustible material has been consumed; just as a 

 mould is formed for the casting of iron by a wooden 

 shape constructed of the exact intended form of the 

 iron, and placed in sand prepared for receiving its 

 impression, then removed that the fluid metal may 

 run into the place so vacated. In the case of these 

 specimens, it was removed by being consumed in the 

 way specified, and the mould thus formed was occu- 

 pied in the same manner. The burning out of the 

 dry wood or vegetable in many cases disengaged 

 sufficient gases to bulge out and blister the bark 

 before escaping through the porous soil; and this 

 appears in many of the specimens. It may be re- 

 marked in passing that this blistering is adverse to 

 the idea of any watery process of formation, such as 

 infiltration, and is almost of itself demonstrative of 

 the operation of fire. 



That molten meteoric matter has been known to 

 fall, and to flow as liquid fire along the ground, 

 appears in the record of that ever-memorable hail- 

 storm in Egypt (Exod. ix. 23 — 25), in which there 

 was " fire mingled with the hail," and " the fire ran 

 along the ground." This does not and cannot refer 

 to lightning, which does not run along the ground ; 

 and the word translated "ran" does not mean 

 " flashed," but may equally be rendered "flowed," 

 being applied to the running of rivers. The fire 

 also is there spoken of as "rain." 



As a consequence of this mode of formation of the 

 flint casts of vegetables, fruits, and portions of tree- 



