378 Sir William Hamilton’s Defcription 
The more opportunities I have of examining this volcanic 
country, the more I am convinced of the truth of what I have 
already ventured to advance, which is, that volcanoes fhould 
be confidered in a creative rather than a deftruCtive light* 
Many new difcoveries have been made of late years, particu- 
larly, as you well know, Sir, in the South-Seas, of illands 
which owe their birth to volcanic explofions ; and fome, indeed, 
where the volcanic fire ftill operates. I am led to believe, that 
upon further examination, molt of the elevated illands at a 
confiderable diftance from Continents would be found to have a 
volcanic origin ; as the low and flat illands appear in general to 
have been formed of the fpoils of fea productions, fuch as 
corals, madrepores, &c. But I will flop here, and not deviate 
from the plan which I have hitherto ItriCtly followed, of 
reporting faithfully to my learned Brethren of the Royal So- 
ciety fuch fads only as come immediately under my own ob- 
fervation, and as I think may be worthy of their notice, 
and leave them at full liberty to reafon upon them. 
We may flatter ourfelves, as a very great progrefs has been 
made of late years in the knowledge of volcanoes, that by 
combining fuch obfervations as we are already in poflefiion of, 
with thofe which may be made hereafter, in the four quarters 
of the world (in all of which nature feems to have operated in 
a like manner), a much better theory of the earth may be elta- 
blifhed than the miferable ones that have hitherto appeared. 
Thofe who have not had an opportunity of examining a 
volcanic country, as I have for more than twenty years, would 
little fufpeCt, that many curious productions and combi- 
nations of lava’s and tuffa’s were of a volcanic origin ; efpe- 
cially when they have undergone various chemical operations 
of nature, fome of which, as I have mentioned in a former 
4 
commu 
