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quire for such multiplicity and magnitude.* Yet we can not implicitly admit that the numerical predominance merely of these cryptogamias implies a hotter climate, for they really increase in their proportion now as they approach our North Pole. It is their size, rather than their presence, which leads to the deduction as to the temperature. Unusual magnitude indicates unusual warmth and moisture in the northern climates. In Scotland a gigantic sedge has occurred; and near Leeds, in Yorkshire, a reed of enormous size. Such things seem to have required a higher temperature than those countries now enjoy. Yet in stating these instances, it is desirable to recollect that all such gigantic remains are not to be deemed the universal character of the primeval vegetation. The whole of it was not of such mighty dimensions. Plants of this magnitude certainly existed in it; but other calamites have been also found of a much less size. It is probable that a considerable portion of the antediluvian flora resembled

Thus, in the TROPICAL ISLANDS, although the ferns and fern-like plants have now sunk down to a proportion only of the whole that are there, yet they bear a larger ratio in such places than elsewhere. In Janica, they are 1-9th of the phonogamous plants. In New-Guinea, 28 to 122. In New-Ireland, 13 to 60. In the Sandwich Islands, 40 to 160 But upon the CONTINENTS their proportion has greatly lessened. Thus, "lu equinoctial America, Humboldt does not estimate them as more than 1-36th. In New-Holland, Mr. Brown finds them 1-37th. They decrease in proportion towards either pole; so that in France they are only 1-634; in Portugal, 1-116th; in the Greek Archipelago, 1-227th; and in Egypt, 1-971st."--Lindsey's Nat. Syst. 314.

"Northward, their proportion again augments; so that they form 1-31st of the phænogamous vegetation of Scotland; 1-35th in Sweden; 1-15th in Iceland; I-10th in Greenland; and 1-7th at North Cape."D'Urville, Ann. Scien. Nat. 6, 51. Lindsey, p. 314.

1 Mr. Ramsay collected the larger part of cyperacea, or gigantic monocotyledon, from the coals and stone of Craighill near Edinburgh.New. Ed. Phil. Jour. 1830, p. 194.

§ "A fine specimen of calamites, a plant resembling our reed, but of gigantic size, was found at Quarry Hill a few days ago: it is at least fourteen inches in diameter."--Leeds Intell. Aug. 1829..." Gigantic reeds, resembling arundo donax, are found in the sea clifts opposite High Whitby," -Dr. Ure's Geology, p. 201. Among the fossil remains of Tilgate forest rocks Mr. Mantell found large trunks like palms, arborescent ferns, and gigantic reeds of tropical climates.-Bakewell's Geology, p. 291.

#To the account of the Leeds fossil it was justly added, "This spe cles is of common occurrence in our coal fields, to which the rocks of this neighbourhood exclusively belong, but is seldom found of so large a Bize. It is deposited in the museum of our Philosophical Society,"

our own in its general appearance and dimensions, although with these extraordinary exceptions. It is now believed that the interesting arborizations which are admired in agates and chalcedonies often come from fossil conferva.* If so, the ancient confervas were not larger than those of our ordinary ponds, for their siliceous imprisoned ones have not greater dimensions.

Among many good treatises on the coal formations, the third book of the "Outlines of the Geology of England and Wales," p. 233-470, chiefly by the Rev. W. D. Conybeare, contains a very succinct and satisfactory statement of the principal facts concerning them, with that candid and intelligent reasoning upon them which distinguishes his work and his geological mind. If all our essays on geology had been written with the same temper, knowledge, precision, and logical tact, the science would have been kept free from many of the errors and prepossessions which have contributed to perplex and darken it. His summary of the organic remains in the coal-fields, p. 333344, is followed by his observations on the theoretical deductions as to their origin, p. 345–349. He is disposed to think that the coal vegetables were accumulated in friths and estuaries; and buried there with the alluvial detritus that was swept away with them.†

* Daubenton, in 1782, first called the public attention to this fact. Dr. Macculloch adopted his opinion, as to their containing the true remains of vegetables.... M. Blumenbach, who at first opposed it, at last recognised the fructification of a plant approaching the sparganum erectum in an agate of Japan. Ad. Brongniart hesitated, because they were not perfect; but M. Raspail has confirmed the theory. By experiment on some existing conferva, he obtained figures like those in agates, which by compression anastamosed into arborisations.... Dr. Jaeger affirms that in the Stuttgard museum there are three pieces of agate with the remains of vegetation... Mr. Jameson has mentioned that chalcedonies are still forming in Iceland, which agglutinate naturally confervas and mosses.-Annal. des Scien. Feb. 1830. Bull. Univ. June, 1830, p. 450.

The same gentleman's sketch of the progress of the science, (Introd. Xxxviii-lvi.) is a pleasing exhibition of the labours and talents of several English geologers. The quotation from Professor Buckland's inaugural lecture ably states the services which geology, rightly studied, concurs, with other branches of natural history, to render to the noblest of our intellectual inquiries, natural theolog

LETTER VIII.

The Creation of the Fish and Whales-The General Principles of their Formation and peculiar Nature,

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Is the vegetable kingdom we have surveyed one grand division and display of organized matter, and of that living principle which is everywhere connected with organiza These two great peculiarities of nature are never separated. There is no organization without the principle of life. There is no life on our earth without a material organization within which it resides.

immediately the land.

From the creations which we have described, the Deity proceeded to the formation of a very different description of material organization, and with a living principle of qualities much superior to any which appear in plants. This other grand division of life and organization is that which constitutes the animal kingdom. If we consider the mediums in which they reside, we should distinguish this order of beings into three general classes,-the animals of the waters, those of the air, and those which inhabit more But their respective forms and hants lead us to minuter divisions than these, Besides the fish, birds, and quadrupeds, we also find insects frequenting the air, and reptiles and worms the earth; and others, the amphibious class, which are alternately both on land and in water. Linnæus made an artificial classifien tion, which has since been considerably altered by others. The crustaceous animals have been separated from his insects; and the testaceous ones from his worms. The molluses and infusoria have also received a more distinct consideration, and a different arrangement, All these form together another vast and multifarious evolution and por traiture of the Divine Mind, to the contemplation of its intelligent creatures. But although very diversified in exter nal figures, and in their habits, yet they are all linkeď together by very close analogies of system, qualities, fac ulties, and living principle. They all display relations to

each other, and organical and instinctive affinities and similarities, which entitle them to be considered as one grand kingdom of organized life, originating from the same Designer and Creator; associated in many points with his vegetable system of it, though clearly separated by their sentient and other superiorities. Thus the living organizations of earthly nature are in two distinct compartments. One of these, the botanical, has been considered in some detail, because it represents to us the principle of life in the lowest degree of faculties and force, without apparent sense or thought, and acting on principles and to effects very dissimilar in many essential points to those of the animated races, amid all its analogies with them in others. But animals are more immediately linked together in all their functions and properties. Of these the aquatic tribes are the most peculiar, least known, and most fully separated from the rest; and will therefore be considered in these Letters rather more at large than the other orders of the animal kingdom. But of each of these we will endeavour to select such facts as will indicate the Divine system and object in their production, and as will contribute perhaps to throw some light on the nature and distinctions of that living principle, which has been appointed to accompany both the kingdoms of organic being.*

The new system of creation which is exemplified in the animal world was begun on the fifth day, in the production of the fishes and the birds. The order for their appear ance is thus expressed :

And ELOHIM said, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."

Thus the two earliest classes of animated beings were those that were to inhabit the two fluid mediums on our globe, the water and the air; both compounded substances -specific compositions of oxygen, with different additions.

"Animals enjoy sensation by means of a living organization, and> mated by a medullary substance; perception by nerves; and motion by the exertion of the will. They have members for the different purposes of life, organs for their different senses, and faculties or powers for the application of their different perceptions. They all originate from an egg."-Turt. Linnæus, vol. i. p. 4

Gen. ch. i. ver. 20.

Water is the combination of oxygen with hydrogen: the atmosphere is its union with azote. But neither of these result from a promiscuous mixture of their component parts. One definite proportion of oxygen with one fixed portion of hydrogen will alone produce water.* Another proportion of oxygen with a determined quantity of azote, is requisite for the formation of the air which we and all earthly animals respire. Any other proportions of either will make very different substances. The two elements are therefore as chosen, appointed, and specific things as the creatures are that inhabit them; and these creatures have been deliberately formed with exact adaptitude to the properties of the several mediums they were to live in. Nothing can more strongly indicate a reasoned creation.‡

FISHES, like vegetables, are in several natural tribes, very distinguishable from each other, although all residing in the watery element: but this element, so uniform in its general qualities, has yet several peculiar divisions; as in rivers, lakes, marshes, and seas. Its greatest distinction is that of salt water in its oceanic diffusions, and of fresh water in its terrestrial distributions; and some of the fish are appropriated to each of these. It is however a prevail

• Dr. Thompson considers water to be a compound of one atom oxygen, and one atom hydrogen (Inorg. Chym, vol. i. p. 11, 58); or one volume of oxygen to two volumes of hydrogen; or if estimated by weight, eight of oxygen to one of hydrogen.-b. 99. The weight of a cubic inct of water is 252 grains, at the temperature of 60.-Ib. 103.

↑ The same intelligent chymist exhibits air as containing one-fifth of oxygen, and four-fifths of azotic gas, or nitrogen. "The mean of ten experiments, in which I removed the oxygen from common air by means of phosphorus, gave me a mixture of oxygen 20, azotic gas 80-100. This result was confirmed by decomposing common air by means of hydrogen gas."-Thomp. Inorg. Chym. p. 57. Ed. 1831.

Every thing, even in the mineral world, appears to be a specific and determinate creation. "The opinion at present entertained by chymists in general is, that simple substances are aggregates of very minute particles, incapable of further diminution, and therefore called atoms.". "They always combine with each other in definite proportions.". "Matter is not infinitely divisible. Its ultimate particles consist of atoms incapable of any further division or diminution.".... "Notwithstanding their extreme minuteness, each of them has a specific weight."-Thomp. In. Ch. 3-9. His observations show that every substance is a definite composition of a fixed proportion of its constituent particles. For each substance to be, this proportion must not alter, as any other makes a different thing. The permanent continuance of each is therefore a lasting evidence of their intended, chosen, and appointed and specifio

creation.

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