More hard
and folid productions
in-
one place *
than another«
8o N A T U R A L H I^ l iT O R Y
earth, and their'contra&ileipowers preffed forth, and threw up into
their ’ proper devatdoiiS, the dements of air, water, and eatth; elements,
Mountains
and hills the
neceffary re-
fult of more
folids in one
part than in
another, at
the time of
firft general
induration.
as necefiary to the furfece, as the ftony ftrata were* to the
inferiour parts of the. globe. Such was the general divifion, but
it is not to be imagfoed' diat in w o ife b f a* minute
exa&nefs could take place No^— there wks moré of ftony matter
in one place,- more, of eafth imanother; in foftic ' places ftones be-
came lefs porous, and contra&ed into a narrower fpacèflin others
more lax and diffufed; fome Waters, fome air,'-feme fire detained at
firft in the interftices, and afterwards efcapfog* oceafioned depref-
fions, and extenfive caverns; and the matter of fafit confirms this
theory, for thé more we examine the ftruéforë‘ óf our globe, and
weigh the phenomena, and confequences of - earthquakes and vtil-
canoes, the more cavernous we find the earth, and of the more unequal
denfity. ■ In fliort, i t was-impöffible in ftiematufo-^f things’
that fuch a multifarious body as our globe fhould fettle-and indurate
with an abfohite-exa&nefs, or that -evtity part of it’s furface
fhould be accurately equidiftant from the center. g It is' e a fffo bb-
ferve, that fome countries abound more than others in rocks already
formed, and others in waters lapidific, and ready to penetrate bodies
immer fed, and make their fubftance - become ftony Is it then
any great wonder, that at the firft induration, there fhould be more
o f thefe ftony principles, and confequently ftony produdtions, in one
part of the globe than in another; in other wofds,-;thkt the fhëll
of the earth fhould be more or lefs' denfe in feme ; particular places
\han in the reft ? Now, wherever this greater quantity o f ftcfny principles
was, and rocks fettled upon rocks, and flood firm,' there the
higher grounds, craggs, hills* and mountains' became protuberant;
and above the common furface» If this-ftoiiy ’pföeèfe was in a
ridge-like form, then" it produced a chain, of' mountains if -conical,
a fharp fingle mountain, or more in number according - to the
number o f cones; where a quantity^of air, fire, or water' was. in-
clofed at the time of induration, >in proportion to the caverns which
foch extraneous elements occupied, fo would be the fiibfidencies be*
twixt the firmer and more ftable eminences. I f thofe caverns were
deep and great, precipices would be- formed in the fides of
mountains, and in cliffs; if fhallow and oblate, gentle declivities;
i f thefe declivities were greatly extended, - then they fhoot forwards,
and make chanels in the fea; if damm’d up and circumfcribed, they
make lakes and Teas; all thefe inequalities are the neceffary refult
» Stones and rocks are no more than earth ce- andconcrete into ftonewhen they meet with a
merited by lapideoiw particles, educed, fufpended proper nidus to reft in, and attract one another
in, and colleaed by the common vehicle of water; with greater force, than the water divides them,
thefe particles leave the fluid they are fufpendèd in,
of
© F C O R N W A L L. 81
of the folids fettling.--and indurating ?ïi$ greater quantities in one
placé "’sfhan I’MnfilQther dffpafity, not'i tfre$ef|ed: of chance,
fnor",( tlfe^acéMel^al i^Mcourfe[ ©fhmatter adcfe’ irfdtion, but p‘fê-
:l4ld9-ined'- by tCMfe sas feroduOTfeeiÿfof^niorè bèrîelll tbftmankind,
'by‘thé'-great u&fulnefs of mouni^riÿàndwM^s, ' than if matter had
lléen difpôfed imaHnore fcaé t ’an'dfoqfel manner.
V ! What! will addbprength to this!tfrêôry’ find’ the karh
orfolfcfefock byifro-means levelf'dr equi-dïMnSfrofirlK^th'e center, ‘‘
butrôf i wavy, forface, fiifingl arraffalling asithe' hillàfand ’vàllies,
.intimating plainly, \that,asNpme paÆtsIof- the-- furface^oF the globe
fettled ftone upon fome, ' and dne* rocky ftratum upon another^ and
thereby maintairfed their elevatie&wvasidi',. promMéncy, other part$
confifted of a thinnèr ftratum, • anw tË^Jljdêpreffibns were formed1,1' q
the furface becaffiéflower,- ' and nearer ;'tMèf>cênt'efïb>f ‘thé-'earth.' ’*
That this fettling of theijfearth ifiic^unavoidableHi^equll«es|iand.N
thus generating mountains, mayn appear^mâce^nàthfalî'ahd compr^n
henfible fo, evferyfotelligent reader, s led,u‘s edrifidersin the next place'
-the, height of mountains.
All tfeings- jare greator fmall fby cbmparifony andJîasthe mount^^S- V.
-ains are but a part, and a very < final! part’îtéa'of1 our globe, and^ffeïg^of
,,, \ (. , „ . ■ a . t-mount um to We are now enquirmg now men prominences aspwe dan mountains be eftimated
fhould anfe,: the proper way of eftimating1 their height, is Jby*cohï-J‘"^ ° * ? “
paring -them with the ‘ diameter' ancf-extent''of Our globe, *%hafeWter 0fthe
furface they are thought to Ideform ,fi 1 and tbéir 'height* and *fizd^ - /
rèckonèd utterly unaccountable.'
-Suppofing then f if we make ufe of round numbers^ for which
we wiltfo- the fe^ifel make fufficient allowfoôéâyhhfof'diàmera^'b^. ,
the earth to be*$©oo miles', the higheft mountain wilf not exceed
the common furface but one thoufandth part, if it were allowed fo l«
be eight miles in perpendicular height from the lea ; but the Andes
of America, reckoned to be feheï higheft'ifl” the1 worlds.are^hot’
Mdged; to^ bfe near four miles perpendicular, confequently meafured
by'the diameter o f the earth, they are not- a •* two thoufandth par# 4
higher than the fea. -s in an artificial globe » therefore'': of ,ohe foot
diameter, the height' of the mountains is too*-filial! to be meafured by: , ;.;
fcale and compafs, nay it efeapes the fight ; in a globe of eight'feet -
diameter thofe uneveneffes Which to the eye that fees fb- fmall a'part' -
of the earth at a time are fo fluperiifous, are demonftrably notfo grdat^
as the twentieth part of the decimal of one foot ; in other words-'in fo
large a globe, as that of eight« feet diameter, the higheft rriount-
tains are not prominent more than |the -thicknefs of half fa ' crowii ^
Englifh money. Again, confideifthe proportion which this hèight
« Calculated to be no; mofê than 7975."
Y bears