42 
(ECONOMY 
JiU which conftitutes the cruft of the earth, the 
vegetable , which adorns the face of it, and draws 
the greateft part of its nourishment from the 
fojjil kingdom, and the animal , which is fuftained 
by the vegetable kingdom. Thus thefe three 
kingdoms cover, adorn and vary the fuperficies 
of our earth. It is not my defign to make any 
inquiry concerning the center of the terraque- 
ous globe. He, who likes hypothefes, may con- 
fult Defcartes, Helmont, Kircher, and others. 
My bufinefs is to confider the external parts of 
it only, and whatever is obvious to the eye. 
As to the firata of the earth and moun- 
tains, as far as we have hitherto been able to 
difcover, the upper parts confift of rag-ftone % 
the next of Jlate , the third of marble filled with 
petrifactions, the fourth again with Jlate\ and 
laftly the loweft of free-ftone. The habitable part 
of the earth, though it is fcooped into various 
inequalities, yet is every where high in compa- 
rifon with the water, and the farther it is from 
the fea, it is generally higher. Thus the wa- 
ters in the lower places are not at reft, unlefs 
fome obftacle confines them, and by that 
means form lakes, and marfhes. 
The fea furrounds the continent, and takes 
up the greateft part of the earth’s fuperficies, 
as 
