COMPETENT TO THE EARTHS.

S

in mining countries, where frequent pits have been dug, to reach theobje&s of the miner ; alfo in digging of wells in populous countries.

Derbyfhire is an example of a mining country, in which a very-great number of pits have been dug, on account of numerous metallicveins of lead ore which it contains : And Mr. Whitehurfl has given anaccount of the general experience and knowledge that has been ac-quired by the frequent perforations of the earth in that country.

The country around Newcaftle is another example, where, on ac-count of the abundan - e and numerous flrata of coal which are foundthere, the interior parts of the earth have been diligently examinedby numerous pits, and by other means, as boring, 8cc.

From the infight that has been got on all luch occafions, it has ap-peared that the ftrata lie in very different pofitions with refpedt tothe horizon in different places; that in fome diflridts they are levelor horizontal; that in others, and thefe the greater number, they de-cline from the horizontal pofition, or have what is called a dip ; thatin others, they are fomewhat waved, or alternately rife and link in anirregular manner ; and in others, are thrown into diforder by interrup-tions, fudden bendings, and fractures, and by very fleep declinationsfrom the plane of the horizon. There are even examples of two fetsof ftrata in different pofitions, the one over the other j the undermoftfet commonly ere&ed, more or lefs, and the hardeft; the uppermoftlefs ere&ed, or horizontal, and fofter. This is feen in the banks of theriver Jedd, near Jedburgh.

Such are the different ftates of the ftratified matter which is foundin almoft every place where we have opportunities to examine theinterior parts of the earth.

But 1 muff farther remark, that in many places, and efpecially inthbfe countries in which we find the flrata the moff difordered, wegenerally alfo find large quantities of flony matter, in which we cannotperceive that ftratified arrangement of parts, but which conflitutesenormous maffes, irregular in their form and fize, fometimes fpread