21S 
WERN'KIUAN SYSTEM. 
Extreme diffi 
culty of ac- 
counting for 
tlic retreat of 
the waters. 
which afford the advantage of very perfect contrast, and are, 
indeed, the only adverse opinions which the editor of Werner's 
system has taken notice of. But such a comparison is foreign 
to the design of the present paper j and it has been already 
instituted, with much ability and eloquence, in a work ex- 
pressly devoted to that object*. Without entering, however, 
into any detail of controversy, an impartial observer may be 
permitted to remark, that each party on this instructive ques- 
tion, seems to have been much more successful in provii g the 
weakness of the opposite cause, than in establishing their 
own. 
But to some of the fundamental principles of Werner there 
are very obvious objections, which appear to be insuperable. 
The evidence, it is true, for the former submersion of the 
globe, and even for the repeated submersion of many parts of 
it, is such as cannot be resisted. But waving the objections to 
the solubility of all the solid matter of the earth in water, it 
seems almost impossible that the dissolving fluid could have 
disappeared, according to Werner’s hypothesis, by “ gradual 
diminution” only, without any movement of the land. It has 
been stated by Mr. Playfair, &c.* that, in order to the disclo- 
sure of the parts of the surface now elevated 10,000 feet above 
the sea by a retirement of the investing water only, a bulk of 
fluid must have been removed equal to more than a seven hun- 
dredth part of the whole magnitude of the globe ; and if, 
as Werner supposes, the whole earth was submerged at the 
same time, the depth of fluid must be increased to more than 
double that now stated, and its bulk in a much greater propor- 
tion. Where, then, are we to find a place of retirement for 
so vast a quantity of matter ? Not in central caverns^ j for 
• “ A compnrative view of tlio Huttonian and Neptunian Systems 
of Geology, in answer to the illustrations of the Huttonian Tlrcory of 
the Earth.”— I'dinbiirgh, 180“^. 
+ Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory, ^ .IT. 
+ This was tlic opinion of Dc Luc and De Ijamcthcrie,— Sec Jame- 
son, III, p.Tti. 
theM 
