lished in the former and in the prefent volume, to the expectation of which no chain of reafoning could have led. Of the numer ous vegetables and animals with which the earth is at prefent furnifhed, the mineralized remains of very few fpecies indeed can be found; of man himself, the mineral world prefents not a fingle trace-an explanation of which I in vain attempted in the preceding volume, "No ftronger proof need be required of the fea having long covered this globe, than the various mineralized remains of Zoophytes, which have been found in different parts of the world, imbedded at confiderable depths, at very great elevations, in fome of the loftieft lime-ftone mountains. But it may be argued, that although the marine origin of those remains be admitted, and although they are found thus imbedded, till it is not yet proved that the fea has rested on the parts where thefe foffil remains have been found; fince they might have been brought there by floods from diftant parts. But that thefe animals dwelt, and perished on the identical fpots, where they are now found, in a mineralized ftate, may be fairly, and I truft unquestionably, inferred from the circumstances of the congregation of fimilar animals, and of their bearing but few marks of external violence; fince, had they been thus tranfported from diftant regions, individuals of fimilar fpecies would have been feparated, and fearcely any individual, ex. cept of very strong fabric, would have been found, that had not fuffered material injury." The author proceeds to prove the impoffibility of these foffil remains having been carried into their prefent fituation by the force of the waves, by inflancing the vast quantities of corals which are accumulated in various parts of the globe, and which form the bafis of various marbles. These marbles are found in malfes fufficiently large, to allow of being cut into flabs of very confiderable fize. For instance, the fimple turbinated madrepore is thus found in many parts of Great Britain, as in Worcefterfhire, Shropshire, Perthfhire, and Fifefhire. Confiderable accumulations of particular fpecies of the aggregate and compound madrepores are alfo found in Weftmoreland, Cumberland, and the Bifhopric of Durham. But the fofter Zoophytes, fuch as the sponges, alcyonia, &c. afford ftronger proof that they could. not have been conveyed to their prefent fituations by torrents; fince for the most part their structure is fo delicate that they muft have fuftained much injury, if not a total deftruction by fuch a removal. Thefe alfo are found in confiderable quantities in particular fituations, from which, we may fairly infer that there were the identical fpots in which they were originally produced. This fact is farther proved. by fill more convincing circumftances, which attend the Encrini and Pentacrini, "The marine origin of thefe animals, we have seen, has been determined by the difcovery of the recent remains of two or three pentacrini in the Atlantic ocean and that the foffil fpecies must have had their exiftence where they are now found, is plainly evinced, not only by the vaft accumulations of diftinct fpecies in particular districts; but by feveral inftances occurring, particularly with the lily encrinite, where, notwithstanding the extreme delicacy of their conftruction, even the more minute and more cafily feparable parts, have been repeatedly found, in their mineralized flate, preferved in almoft their natural connection, In concluding the prefent volume, it feems neceffary to remark, that the circumstances obferved whilft examining the feveral foflils hitherto noticed, have appeared to be fufficient to warrant the following conclufions: "ft, That the water has refted for a confiderable period over the general furface of the earth. 2nd, That the mineralized zoophytes found imbedded in different parts of the earth, and even in mountains of confiderable height, have lived and died on thofe identical spots, which in the former world conftituted parts of the bottom of the ocean. 3rd, That in a previous ftate of this planet, many species of organized beings exited, which are not known to us in a recent ftate: their having existed being proved only by the discovery of their fofil remains. “ 4th, That the traces of very few of thofe fpecies, which now exift can be discovered in the wreck of a former world. 5th, That even in rocks of the newest formation, and in alluvial ftrata, which are comparatively of but modern depofi tion, the remains of extinct animals are as frequently to be found, as in what are termed Tranfition Rocks, (thofe which are fuppofed to contain the first traces of organic remains.) 6th, That there appears to have been no line of feparation between the creation of fpecies now extinct, and of thofe now exifting; fince not only the remains of extinct fpecies, but perhaps of extinct genera, are found, with the remains of fpecies very fimilar to, if not exactly agreeing with, fpecies known in a re cent ftate. 7th, That many of the pebbles, found in gravel-pits, on the fhores of rivers, and on the fea beach, do not appear to have béen bowldered down to the form in which they are now found; bat that, on the contrary, their prefent forms are precifely thofe, which they at firft derived, from the filicious impregnation of different animals, which exifted in the former ocean. is 8th, That judging from the original delicacy of structure in thefe bodies, and from the little injury which they have fuf. tained, it appears reafonable to fuppofe, that this folidification was effected, in feveral inftances, previous to the removal of the waters from their former bed,” This volume contains nineteen plates, difplaying many beautiful fpecimens of the foffils defcribed in the preceding pages: amongft thefe we must mention the Lily Encrinite, with its vertebral column, as particularly beautiful. [To be continued] ART. II. A new Interpretation of the LXVIIIth Pfalm. To which is added an Expofition of the CXth Pfalm, propofed in a Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, at St. Mary's, on Sunday, October 27, 1811. By the Rev. Richard Dixon, A. M. F. R.S. Fellow of Queen's College, 4to, 103 pp. Oxford; Cooke, Parker, &c. 1812, WITHOUT pretending to have fo deeply inveftigated the fubjects of thefe learned differtations, as to pronounce with decifion, whether the interpretations offered by Mr. Dixon, are fuch as ought to be generally received by Hebraists, we fhall venture to affert, that in both cafes, (but more particularly in his comments on the lxviiith Pfalm) the learned author advances many things which extremely well deferve the notice of critics and critical theologians, Scholars of the higheft eminence are known candidly to have acknowledged that they were compelled to give up certain paffages in both the lxviiith and cxth Pfalms, and almoft generally alfo, the coherence and connection of the feveral parts or verfes of the former. Mr. Dixon declines entering upon the mystical fenfe of the lxviiitr, applying the whole of his researches to the afcertaining of the precile occafion on which it was originally compofed; in doing which, he palles by the title which affigns it to David, as allowedly not of fufficient authority to impede his progrefs. The occation, to which he inclines to refer it, is, the victory obtained by Deborah and Barak over Sifera and Jabin. Mr. D. ftates, that he was led into this opinion, not only by the circumftance of there being two verses in the pfalm, which are almost word for word to be found in the Song of Deborah, (Judges v,) but from a more general fimilarity of tyle in the two compofitions than has been hitherto commonly noticed; he acknowledges that other commentators have incidentally mentioned the conformity of sertain paffages. We are not able to discover from the book before us, whether Mr. Dixon has examined Dr. Geddes verfion of Gg+ the the Pfalms; but undoubtedly the doctor not only incidentally notices fuch paffages, but feems to confider the Pfalm as fo particularly founded upon the Song of Deborah, that he even inferts certain paffages from the latter, between brackets, as probably "dropt out of the Pfalm," which is his very expreflion. The Pfalm itfelf, however, he affigns to a totally different occafion, as other critics have done; namely, the victories of David over the Edomites, Ammonites, and Syrians, when the ark was brought back in triumph to Jerufalem. It may be proper here to remark that this idea of the folemn proceffion of the ark to Jerufalem, which has the general confent of Hebraifts, is not paffed over by Mr. Dixon. He alfo concludes that fuch a folemnity is clearly alluded to in verfes 25, 26, &c. and he regards it as the ge.neral termination of a victory, the ark being probably car. ried forth by the Ifraelites upon all important expeditions, as the adverfe parties were accufiomed to carry their idols with them. When an author takes up fuch an hypothefis as is here affumed by Mr. Dixon, and undertakes to apply every paffage to it; or in other words, circumftantially to explain them by his theory, it is, for the most part, beyond all comprehenfion, what frange conceits he may indulge, and how far he may ftrain matters, to force them into fome fort of agreement. But we mu declare that in the attempt here made to eftablifh an hypothefis, there is lefs of fancy, and more of fair criticism and argument, than we have almost ever met with on fimilar occafions; and whatever is advanced in the way of conjecture, is fo modeftly urged, that it is impoffible to reject it without the fulleft confideration. Conjećtural emendations of the text indeed, the author profeffes to decline, as fcarcely wariantable, after the laborious collations of Hebrew MSS. by Kennicott and De Roffi. No parts of the Ixviiith Pialm are more obfcure than the 13th and 14th verfes. The common verfion has almoft generally been accounted unintelligible; and though Dr. Geddes, in terms of contempt unbecoming a grave fcholar, entirely fets it afide, yet we are not indifpofed to fubftitute his own tranflation, if it can be fairly admitted as a juft rendering of the original; and if Mr. Dixon's hypothefis be well founded, it appears to us capable of giving great animation to the fubject. We must confefs that we have never been difpofed to confider the common verfion, especially of the first part of the 13th verfe, as the moft unintelligible paffage, which Dr. Geddes: feems to do, but have been inclined to refer it (with Bifhops Patrick, Horne, Parkhurft, &c.) to the the hardships endured by the Ifraelites in Egypt and Arabia. But the doctor totally difcards it, and fubftitutes the following tranflation. "What though ye were plac'd between (hoftile) ranks ?" and connects the other part of the verse with it thus, "Between the wings of a dove bedeck't with filver And whofe pinions were ftreak'd with Gold," alluding, as he fuppofes, to the idolatrous enfigns and banners of the enemy; and he proceeds, "When the Omnipotent difpers'd the Kings Snow cover'd the idol with confufion *.” Supppofing Mr. Dixon's hypothefis to be right, this tranflation would, we think, be particularly applicable. Dr. Geddes's note, to prove that the dove might very probably be the banner of the enemies of the Ifraelites, would be as applicable in the one cafe as the other, while the idea of the now covering the idol (by image or fimilitude) is remarkably confiftent with Mr. Dixon's view of the paffage. He also very aptly cites a paffage from Jofephus, to prove that the army of Sifera was actually routed in confequence of a ftorm of hail, or moft probably now, and particularly notices the custom of the Canaanites of carrying their idols with them in their ranks. Mr. Dixon's own verfion is as follows, referring the paffage to the Tribe of Iffachar according to the prophecy of Jacob, Gen. xlix. 14. 13. "Although ye have lain down in the ftall, ye were the wings of a dove covered with filver, 14. "When the Almighty fcattered Kings, When in darknefs it became white as fnow." He adopts this idea in confequence of the particular mention of the Tribe of Iffachar by Deborah, Judges v. 15. and he concludes it to be probable, that Deborah herself was of this tribe, whofe unexpected exertions in the common. caufe, contrary to its ufual character, she takes no small pains to celebrate. Mr. Dixon's arguments upon this head are curious, but we cannot fay that they are to us entirely convincing. See our remarks on this whole paffage, in our account of Dr. Geddes's Tranflation of the Pfalms, Brit, Crit. vol. xxxv. p. 356. We |