MAGAZINE OE SCIENCE AND ART. 
231 
void without form, cold, dark, and dismal, 
which was the beginning of the world, and 
this beginning is still in progress, new life 
is daily creating to fill the vacancy of that 
extinct. The aspect of the earth is conti¬ 
nually changing; the great work is still 
going on ; new gulleys, glens, creeks, and 
rivers continually forming, and what was 
once the rut of a single dray-wheel is now 
the bed of a flowing stream. From this 
we know the earth is continually draining, 
and the original waters worked their own 
roads to the ocean, and as the world now 
appears it is so much dry land reclaimed 
from the waters ; therefore it is but folly to 
say this land has but lately sprung into 
being, or that land has been recently re¬ 
claimed from the ocean; of every land, 
its water-courses are evidence of its age ; 
and ivheu we contemplate this evidence 
which every countryin the world can afford, 
w'e are in a measure capable of forming 
some idea as to the land which first did 
appear, and the ages of time which must 
have expired. 
Were it now possible for the ocean to re¬ 
cede and expose its present bed we would 
there also, as upon earth, find vegetables 
and animals, each after its own kind ; but, 
in order that we may form a correct notion 
previous to creation, we must naturally 
conclude that a barrenness of substance 
could only appear in the shape of rock, 
grave], minerals, and sand. Such was the 
land which did appear, and upon such land 
was the future greatness of creation 
founded. How very different would that 
bed now appear with its countless millions 
of creeping things, its endless pastures of 
vegetable substance, its endless resources 
in ways and means. When we contemplate 
all these, and the mighty magnitude of pre¬ 
sent creation, we are apt to consider if all 
this greatness ever had a beginning, or 
that all could proceed from that one com¬ 
mand, “Let the dry land appear.” No 
amount of language, be it ever so explicit, 
could shadow' the comprehension of gran¬ 
deur and perfection of this great command 
upon the mind of man, with such striking 
conviction as those few words of inspira¬ 
tion—“ The beginning was the Word, and 
the Word was God.” Thus was the begin¬ 
ning. The waters divided from the w'aters, 
the dry land appeared, and with it creation 
and all her laws. The stm, by reflection, 
lent heat to the waters, which threw from 
their surface the sustenance of creation ; 
this sustenance arose in mist or evapora¬ 
tion, and became collected or condensed 
by a colder atmosphere, there it became 
vapour, and by attraction clouds, which 
were propelled by the winds and wafted 
o’er the land, there it descended in sunny 
showers; one portion became the suste¬ 
nance of vegetable substance, and the re¬ 
mainder returned to those w'aters from 
whence it came. Thus was the perfect 
beginning, which is still hr progress, and 
by which are all things supplied, for the 
Word is the foundation of creation, and 
with the command were all things perfect, 
of things that were and things that will he. 
The waters divided from the waters, the 
dry' land appeared, atmospheric action de¬ 
composed, and decomposition created. 
Decomposition created vegetable substance, 
and from vegetable substance sprung ani¬ 
mated nature, the sun absorbed, the clouds 
contained, the wind propelled, tlie rain de¬ 
scended. Such was the beginning—a 
great and grand perpetual motion, which 
was, and is, and ever will be while there 
remains an ocean to supply and a sun to 
absorb. Such was the origin of vegeta¬ 
tion. 
Thus vegetation was the first appear¬ 
ance of life, and from which may be traced 
the different links which unite it to animal 
substance. That vegetable substance ex¬ 
isted previous to animal life is self-evident 
from the feet, that vegetable substance is 
the sustenance of animal life, and to j>ro- 
pagate and sustain that life vegetable sub¬ 
stance was first created. The beauty, sys¬ 
tem, and regularity of those laws which 
govern creation is far beyond the compre¬ 
hension of man, hut experience and the 
power of reason has enabled us to know 
that all nature, both animate and inani¬ 
mate, is classed, and each governed by a 
code of laws peculiar to its kind ! It is 
upon- this law the science of botany is 
founded, and by this science can he traced 
those various links in the chain of nature, 
which unite both animal and vegetable 
substance. Consequently, if we take for 
granted that atmospheric action decom¬ 
posed, and that such decomposed substance 
formed tire basis from which vegetation 
sprung, it is but reasonable to conclude 
that, in a great measure, to atmospheric 
action creation owes its being, and, conse¬ 
quently, by atmospheric action must all 
things be influenced. 
