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Hutton, James, 1726-1797

"Theory of the Earth, Volume 1 (of 4)"

Ainsi le systeme de
soulevement perd son but, s'il tend a expliquer pourquoi nous avons des
_couches_, formees par la mer, qui se trouvent maintenant si fort au
dessus de son niveau. Il est evident que ces _couches_ n'ont pas ete
soulevees; mais que la _mer_ s'est _abaissee_. Or c'est la le grand
point cosmologique a expliquer: tous les autres, qui tiennent a la
structure de certaines montagnes inintelligibles, n'appartiendront qu'a
_l'histoire naturelle_, tant qu'ils ne se lieront pas avec celui-la."
Here are two things to be considered; the interesting facts described
by our author, and the inference that he would have us draw from those
facts. It would appear from the facts, that the body of schistus below,
and that of lime-stone above, had not undergone the same disordering
operations, or by no means in the same degree. But our author has formed
another conclusion; he says, that these lime-stone strata must have been
formed precisely in the place and order in which they lie at present;
and the reason for this is, because these strata appeared to him to
follow perfectly the contour of the summit of this mountain.


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