COAL laiNES OF

5S

CHAPTER VI.

The Theories of Burnet, Descartes, Whiston,Woodward, Buffon, and others, on the ori-ginal Formation of the Earth, and theCauses of Stratification, 8$c.

The theory of the earth and of stratificationshaving of late become very extensive, it maynot be uninteresting to digress a little into themore general information upon this head ; asthe coal strata form one amongst the innumer-able mineral productions, for which theoristshave so much difficulty to account.

Out of the many different theories whichhave been advanced relative to the origin ofrocks and stratifications, it is almost impossi-ble to decide upon any one as firmly conclu-sive in its evidence.

The latitude which has been given to supposedcauses, and the immense chaos of conceptionwhich presents itself to the imagination of atheorist upon earth, has not failed to-producesome extraordinary works upon this importantsubject; and we are still bewildered by the

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