Affinity between Bafaltes and Granite. 69 
and fhivering the incumbent ftrata, while its heat hardened them 
into laminated ftone. 2. Suppofing granite mountains previoufly 
exifting in the ancient ocean, the inclination of the incumbent 
ftrata, and their difarrangement is fuch that they could neyer 
have been depofited as they appear at prefent; they would have 
been much more horizontal in their direction. It feems im- 
poffible to attribute the diforderly deviation, which is fo general 
in the mountains of (late, See. from that pofition which all 
fediments from water affume, to any thing but a force lifting 
from below, and fometimes burfting through. 
It is moreover certain, that all thefe lifting maffes, from 
granite to acknowledged lava *, are found fqueezed up through 
Mures formed in the ftrata by their own expanlion. This, 
and not the infiltration of water, as M. de Saussure would 
perfuade us t> appears to be the true origin of fuch veins of 
granite, 
* Ferber, /. c . p. 51, 
f Voyages dans les Alpes, 4to, I. 53^— *53 6 * The whoIe P affa S e w eli 
deferves the notice of thofe who are interefted in thefe enquiries. Vertical ftrata ? 
in one inftance, lying againft the foot of a granite mountain, are divided by 
oblique* fiflures, full of granite. This naturalift fuppofes them to have filled up 
gradually by the rain water diflblving particles of granite, carrying them down 
and depofiting them in the form of granite again ; two operations which one may 
fafely deny to rain water the power of performing. Other infuperable objections 
to this theory ftart up at every ftep in the defeription* If water can diflblve any, 
it is furely but a very fmall part of all the ingredients of granite. Now, fup- 
pofe a failure full of fuch a [folution ; the water is, I fuppofe, to evaporate, and 
the cryftallization to take place'; the cryftals mull be fmall, on account of the 
fmall quantity of matter to form them, and a fucceeding folution can only yield 
another crop of fmall cryftals, it will not enlarge thofe already formed; but we 
are told, that the cryftals of granite 41 in the crevices in queftion are remarkably 
darge. This has alvyays appeared to me a chemical demonftration of the falfehood 
of a very common fuppofition, that the cryftals often occurring in the cavities of 
the 
