IV 
P R E' F A C E; 
Terraquei confufione comprehenfa & invo¬ 
luta fuifie. Littora ipfa, ad bafm rupium, 
magnis Nodulis Minerae Ferrete, & Lapi¬ 
dibus Siliceis, quorum magna pars, tefta- 
cea foffilia vel eorum faltem impreffiones & 
Efcharas infra defcribendas, in ie includit, 
abundanter fcatent. 
Variae de tempore & modo quibus haec 
corpora heic depofita funt, opiniones ex- 
flant. Sunt qui fibi imaginantur, hoc, tradtu 
temporis indefiniti, fieri potuifie, idque 
mediantibus mutationibus & variationibus 
ipfarum Aquarum Maris, gradatim fadtis. 
Alii, tellurem multas, imo univerfales re¬ 
volutiones feu everfiones fubiifle, conten¬ 
dunt, de quibus nullas habemus nec habere 
pofiumus ideas, praeter, quae hifce vefti- 
giis nobis fuggeruntur. 
In genere, Diluvio, ut Caufise univerfali, 
effectus hos deberi, creditur. Do&rina vero 
de Inundatione Aquarum, fi vel univerfalis 
ea fuifiet, non diutius, quam Sacrae Li- 
terae docent, fupra terram manentium, om¬ 
nia terrae univerfae contenta folvente & Ib- 
lida omnia, fecundum D. TVc-odward , fluida 
reddente, ut fic exuviis Maris & Terrs in 
centra rupium duriffimarum & filicum in¬ 
troitus concederetur, aeque hypothetica eftac 
reliquae quotquot hujus rei funt conjediurae: 
parum igitur abeft, quin re bene perpenfa 
facile credam, myfteria haec numquam no¬ 
bis reclufa futura. His ergo mifiis, paucas 
tantum generales addam obiervationes, qui¬ 
bus, illis qui minus in hifce rebus verlati 
funt, conclufiones formandi campus aperi¬ 
atur otiumque fiat. 
Ex inquifitionibus & perveftigationibus, 
per omnes partes hujus Globi nobis cogni¬ 
tas induftria fa&is, phoenomena haecce uni- 
verfaliter (paucifiimis locis exceptis) occur¬ 
runt : a cacumine enim alti (fimi a mare re- 
motiflimi montis, ad imam ufque quam 
humana unquam penetraverit opera pro¬ 
funditatem terrae, & Conchilia, & Offa, & 
Vegetabilia 
Noddules of Iron Ore and Pebhles or Flints » 
in many of which , when broken , are difcovercd 
Fojftl Shells, or their Lnprejftons , and the 
Efchara here defcribed. 
Various are the Opinions concerning the 
Fime, when and how thefe Bodies became 
depofited ; fome there are who canceive it 
might have been effehted in an indefinite 
length of time by a gradual changing and. 
Jhifting of the Sea others again, that this 
Globe may have undergoue many, even total 
Revolutions, of whicb we neithsr have or can i 
have any idea , but from. thefe traces *. 
The moft common Caufe ajfgned is that of 
the Deluge, but the Notion that an cverflow- 
ing of the Witers, during the time mentioned 
in Scripture, although the univerfality of it 
Jhould not be called in queftion, could have 
loofened the intire contents of the whole earth, 
according to Dr. Woodward, and have ren- 
dered ali that was folid fiuid, for the ad- 
mijfion of the fpoils both of the fea and land,. 
into the centre of the hardeji Rocks, nay even 
of Pebbles and Flints , is equally hypothetica} 
with other Conjeblures fo that upon the whole 
I am apt to think this affair will for ever re- 
main a myftery : I fijall therefore content my- 
felf with making only a few general Obferva- 
tions on the Subjeci, the b et ter to enable fuch 
as are lefs converfant in thefe Maiters, to 
judge for themfelves. 
Thefe Phaenomena then, upon an inquifitive 
Search over as great a Part of the Globe as 
we have any knowledge of, except in a very 
few Inflances, are found to be univerfal • 
for, from the Surface of the kighefl Moun- 
tains in the moft inland Parts, down to the 
greatcft Fepth in the Earth ever penetrated, 
where openings have been made , are found 
Shells 
