171

before the deluge, cannot have differedwidely from the present order, will appearfrom many considerations.

1. The earth having acquired a spheroidalfigure, while fluid, must have revolved eventhen upon its axis of fixed rotation ; nowit is extremely improbable that the earthshould have had this motion at a time whenthe sun and planets were not yet called in-to existence.

2. In the diluvian detritus of almost everycountry which has been examined, havebeen discovered bones of the horse, ox,stag, elephant, and other quadrupeds.These animals inhabited the earth ; conse-quently they had land to roam on, plants tofeed on ; the animals and plants grew andflourished: consequently they must haveenjoyed an atmosphere and a climate suit-ed to their nature; in other words, an atmos-phere and a climate varying little from thoseof the present world. If so, may we notconclude that the antidiluvian earth was aplanet belonging to the solar system, re-