95

ON THE REAL FIGURE OF THE EARTH .

The actual figure of the earth is diversi-

c?

fied by eminences, depressions, and plainsof uncertain extent and elevation.

Compared with the solid contents of ourplanet, these irregularities are insignificant,of no more moment, to use the expressive lan-guage of Seneca, than particles of dust on thesurface of an artificial globe. It is alwaysuseful to enlarge our ideas of nature by re-flectingon the comparative littleness of thoseobjects which we are accustomed to consi-der the most sublime. The interest, how-ever, which mountain and valley are cal-culated to excite in us, depending not upontheir relations to our planet, but upon theirrelations to our species, is little affected byany comparison that may be instituted be-tween their magnitude and that of the worldat large.

From the internal evidence which thecomplexion of our earth affords, I proposeto trace its inequalities of surface, firstto their proximate cause, afterwards tothose causes which are more remote.