Objections to the Nehulo- Geological HyiiotJiesis. 147 
so far as can be judged from various expressions, more or 
less definite, scattered throughout almost all the addresses, 
on which there is harmony, and that point is — that not- 
withstanding Laplace's old and futile attempts to displace 
the Creator from His own creation, we all firmly hold that 
the stellar universe, as well in all its details as in whole, is 
the handiwork of Supreme intelligence, wisdom, power, and 
benevolence." By an ingenious process of illustration and 
argument, the author proceeds to show that these attributes 
of Deity are inconsistent with the science of modern geo- 
logy, and that the sooner the hypothesis of lengthened 
periods of geological time is given up in toto, the more will 
it be for our credit, both as men of science and otherwise. 
" But if," says the author, " there be any after all deter- 
mined to abide by it, they should in common consistency 
still maintain the entirety of the hypothesis from the elec- 
trical convulsions of the nebular portion under the auspices 
of Dr M'Bain to the molten and crusty mass, and, amputat- 
ing and casting away the present crude and cruel mode of 
supplying living creatures, engraft, in its stead, the far less 
repulsive mode of effecting the same end suggested by 
Lamarck, and just now pressed upon them by Huxley, 
Darwin, and Lyell. Then they would have, though still a 
mere ideal, a complete self-acting piece of mechanism ex- 
tending from the scattered initial star-dust up through the 
sun-shaping and planet-spurting whirlpool to the molten 
globular mass, and from it again through the constantly 
heaving and frequently bursting crusty shell to its indigen- 
ous monad, and from the monad, through the monkey to 
the man, — nay, to man in his ' future state' of highest de- 
velopment ; and then would the released Creator receive at 
least partial and negative justice by thus dispensing entirely 
with his interference." 
Dr M'Bain said — In reference to the communication now 
read to the meeting by Mr A. Bryson, professing to be 
" Objections to the Nebulo-Geological Hypothesis," as indi- 
cated in his address at the opening of the session, he had 
only to remark that the allusion made to the nebular 
VOL. HI. u 
