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Qacftion of the Earth's Figure. But before I enter 
into a Detail of the great Advantages of this Rcfearch, 
and the Nature of the Operations I propofe, it is ne- 
ceflary to explain in what Manner I mean that the 
Queftion of the Earth's Figure and Magnitude is not 
yet decided. 
There have been fome who have long fince fufpe&ecj, 
and even thought they were furnifhed with Proofs of the 
Earth's not being exactly fpherical. I here entirely ab- 
ftract from the Unevennefles of its Surface, which arc 
not fenfible in regard of the Earth's whole Bulk ; feeing 
the Tops of the higheft Mountains, and thofe even 
few in Number, arefcarce more than a League above the 
Level of the Seas. Wherefore* I fuppofe the Earth to 
be bounded by a Curve Surface, fuch as it would be by 
the Level of the Sea carried quite over all the Earth. 
'Tis m this Manner, the Earth being confider’d as 
cover'd with a Fluid, that Sir Ifaac Newton, in the 
firft Edition* of his Trincipia , publish'd in 1686, has 
demonftrated, that fuppofing this Fluid homogeneous, 
and the Earth to have been at reft at the Time of its 
Creation, itmuft have affumed the Figure of a perfect 
Sphere : But afterwards, fuppofing it to have a Mo- 
tion on its Axis, as is well known it has in 24 Hours ; 
this fpherical Figure muft have been changed into that 
of a Spheroid, flatted at its Poles, in which the De- 
grees on the Meridian muft be greater drawing near 
the Poles, than near the Equator. 
Sir Ifaac confirms this Hypothefis of the Earth's 
Figure, by Obfervations jpf the Diminution of the 
Ample Pendulum upon approaching the Equator : To 
which P r. Vound adds the Analogy the Earth has with 
fome of the other Planets, as Jupiter , which fome- 
times 
