PROOFS
OF THE
THEORY OF THE EARTH
ARTICLE IV
Of the System of Woodward.*
OF this author, it may be said, that he wanted to build an immense edifice upon a foundation less firm than sand, and to construct a world with dust; for he asserts, that the earth, at the time of the deluge, suffered a total dissolution. In perusing his book, the first idea that presents itself is, that this dissolution was effected by the waters of the great abyss. He alledges, that, at the command of God, the abyss suddenly opened, and diffused such an enormous quantity of water on the surface, as was sufficient to cover the tops of the highest mountains; and that [113] God suspended the law of cohesion, which instantly reduced every solid substance into a powder, &c. He did not consider, that, by these suppositions, he added to the miracle of the universal deluge many other miracles, or, at least, physical impossibilities, which accord neither with scriptures, nor with the principles of mathematics and of natural philosophy. But, as this author has the merit of collecting many important observations, and, as he knew better than any former writer the materials of which the globe is composed, his system, though ill conceived, and worse arranged, by the luster of a few striking facts, has seduced many weak men into a belief of his general conclusions.
We shall now give a short view of his theory, by which we will be enabled to do
justice to the merit of the author, and put the reader in a condition of
judging of the futility of his system, and of the falshood [sic] of some of his
remarks. Mr Woodward informs us, that he recognised with his own eyes all
the materials of which the earth in
To these observations, though partly made before him, he has added others of a more suspicious nature. He asserts, that the materials of the different strata are arranged according to their specific gravities. This assertion is not consistent with truth. We every day see solid rocks placed above clay, sand, pit-coal, bitumen, which have unquestionably a greater specific gravity than the latter materials. If, indeed, it were uniformly found, through the whole earth, were uniformly found, through the whole earth, that the upper stratum was bitumen, followed successively by strata of chalk, marle [sic], clay, sand, stone, marble, and metals, it would, in that case, be probable that all those materials had been precipitated at once: And this our author affirms with confidence, though the most superficial observer needs only his eyes to convince him, that heavy strata are often found above light ones; and, consequently, that these sediments could not be deposited at the same time, but must have [115] been transported and dropped by the ocean at successive periods. As this is the foundation of Woodward’s system, and is manifestly false, we shall follow him no farther than to show how an erroneous principle produces false relations, and bad conclusions.
All the strata that compose the earth, says our author, from the tops of the highest mountains to the deepest mines, are placed according to their respective specific gravities. Hence, he concludes, the whole must have been in a state of dissolution, and precipitated at the same time. But at what time, in what menstruum [sic], was it dissolved? In the water, says Mr Woodward, and at the time of the deluge. But there is not water enough on the globe to produce this effect; for there is more land than water, and the bottom of the sea itself is earth. Very well, he replies; but there is enough water in the central parts of the earth; and nothing more was wanting than to bestow on it the power of dissolving every terrestrial substance, excepting sea-shells; to find a proper method of making the waters return to the abyss; and to make all this correspond with the history of the deluge. Behold a system, of which the author could not prevail on himself to form a doubt; for, when it was objected to him, that water could not dissolve marble, rocks, and metals, especially in 40 days, the time of the waters remaining on the earth; he replied simply, that the event, however, did happen. When it was [116] demanded of him, how the waters of the abyss could dissolve the whole earth, and yet preserve the shells? He answered, that the never proved that this water was a dissolvent; but that, from facts, it was clear that the earth had been dissolved, and that the shells were preserved. Lastly, When it was demonstrated to him, that his system was useless, as it was neither supported by reason nor by facts; he said, we had only to suppose, that, at the time of the deluge, the laws of gravity and of cohesion were suddenty stopped, and, upon this supposition, the dissolution of the antient world admitted of an easy explanation. But it was observed to him, if the force of cohesion was suspended, Why were not the shells dissolved along with the rest? Here he gave a harangue on the organization of shells and of animal bones, tending to prove that their texture was fibrous, and different from that of minerals; that their cohesion was likewise different; and that, after all, we have only to suppose that the powers of gravity and of cohesion did not entirely cease, but that they were diminished to such a degree, as enabled them to dissolve the parts of minerals, but not those of animals. I shall conclude with remarking, that our author’s philosophy was equal to his genius for observation; it is therefore unnecessary to give a formal refutation of absurd notions, especially when they proceed upon conjectures that are contrary both to the laws of probability and of mechanics. [117]
Notes
* An Essay towards the Natural History of the Earth, by John Woodward [back to page 113].