A DISSERTATION ON THE Antquity of the Earth, READ AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY, 12th MAY, 1785

affert againſt alfo alluvion alſo animal matter argument bodies calcarious caufe cauſe chalk chemifts circumſtances component Comte de Buffon confequently confiftency conftituent convulfion deluge depofited differtation diffolvable Diodorus Siculus diſcovered diſcovery dureté earth eſtabliſh event exifted exiſtence expreffion facred faid falt fame feem fhall fibre fimilar fimple fire and water firft firſt fize flint flood foffil bones foil folid fome font fpecies ftate ftrata ftratum ftructure fubftance fubject fubterraneous fire fucceffion fuch fufficient fuppofed globe gluten greateſt grès Hippopotamus hiſtory human indurated inquiry iſlands l'eau maffes marine matières moft moſt muſt nature obfervation occafion original period petrifaction phænomena philofophers phyfical PLATE Pliny prefent preferved principles produced reaſon refpective reſearches river Medway rock of Gibraltar ſame Samothracian deluge ſay ſeparate ſhell ſhould ſhow ſmall ſmalleſt ſome ſpecific ſtate ſtill ſtudy ſubſtance teftimony thefe theſe bones theſe iſlands thofe thoſe tion tuſk univerfal uſe vitrified δὲ τῆς