108 On the supposed Antiquity of the Globe. ON THE SUPPOSED ANTIQUITY OF THE GLOBE. (Concluded from p. 26.) Having thus followed INVESTIGATOR through the evidence of Astronomy and History," examined his "facts," and paid some regard to the "great age" of his "existing monuments," let us now hear how he proceeds to NATURAL HIS TORY. From this source he selects the supposed "transformation of immense forests into masses of coal"-" prodigious strata of sea shell-fish, found partly beneath plains, and partly petrified and imbedded in mountain crags"--" strata of lava, which once issued from the bosom of volcanoes, piled upon oue another, and separated by vegetable mould and the remains of plants"-" islands of madrepores"--and "plants which can only grow in the East Indies found in the deepest excavations that have been made in Europe"--from which he infers, that the globe inust be many thousand years older than “monks and Levites" generally believe it to be.-On the transformation of forests into coal," there are some who agree with your correspondent in the same hypothesis. It is thought that, before the Deluge, every hill and valley must have been clothed with luxuriant vegetation; and that, when the moment of destruction arrived, the lofty forests, with which nearly the whole of the earth is supposed to have been covered, were at once torn up and carried away by the force of the tremendous torrent-the trees of the mountains laid on those of the vallies-and together buried by the subsequent subversion of the mountains; that, instead of mouldering into an useless mass, these are again made, after the lapse of a considerable period, to contribute in another mode, to the comforts and enjoyments of man. But that these forests were previously "burned" is so very improbable, that we cannot entertain the idea without supposing a deluge of fire as well as of water. Of the former we have no evidence, while the latter is supported both by divine testimony and the tradition of different nations. This origin of coal, however, is only hypothetical; and if your correspondent can furnish evidence that coal is" of more ancient date than the building of Babylon," it may perhaps deserve to be rejected; though he will find it difficult to prove that the process of transformation, in such cases, requires so many centuries as he seems to imagine. Parkinson's Organic Remains of a Former World, p. 275. [March 1, We readily admit that the "strata of sea shell-fish," to which he refers, must certainly" prove that the ocean once covered the land with most of the ranges of mountains." And if, "in different places, strata of river shell-fish are found be tween those of sea shell-fish,”—instead of taking it for granted "that the sea has more than once covered the land, and that, after the first recession of its waters, rivers had there scooped out their channels,"-it is more natural to account for such kind of fossils from the effects of the General Deluge. They were either brought into those situations in which they are usually found, when various bodies were mingled in general confusion by the violence of the waters ; or they might be owing to fish-spawn, or animalcula, introduced amongst the layers of stone and earth, which afterwards became what we now find them, in the ordinary course of nature. "It is necessary," says Mr. Ray," that at least those which are found in the viscera and glands of animals be thus formed; and if these, why not those found in the earth?"-As to the time necessary for petrifaction, in many cases connected with marine fossils, the DROPPING WELL at Knaresborough affords ample proof that various substances may be turned into stone in the course of as many months as your correspondent would probably number centuries for that pur pose. On those "strata of lava" to which he refers, we may venture to assert, that if "men of science" were at all accurate in their "researches at the foot of Mount Vesuvius," they would have found no just reason to conclude, "that this volcano has existed upwards of 8,000 years." Surely each stratum of lava would not require a 66 a long series of ages to grow cold!" And those "covered with soil, fit for the growth of plants," cannot be so very numerous as to furnish such demonstrations as they pretend to establish; at least, before we rely with implicit confidence on their assertions, we ought to have the process of these "calculations" fairly laid before us, that we may judge in some measure of what they have "demonstrated" -our respect for revelation being such as is not to be removed by conjecture and groundless assertion. The existence of" volcanoes in the neighbourhood of Rome, near Albano, Nemi, and other places," may be reasonably doubted; * See Ray's Physico-Theological Discoveries, dis. ii. chap. 4. 1816.] On the supposed Antiquity of the Globe. for if "so early as the destruction of Troy, when Eneas lauded there, those parts were cultivated," they are beyond the reach of authentic history. "The more we search," says the learned Jacob Bryant, in a work written to prove that Troy never existed, "into the very ancient records of Rome or Greece, the greater darkness aud uncertainty ensue. None of them can stand the test of close examination. Upon a minute inspection all becomes dark and doubtful, and often inconsistent; but when we encounter the Sacred Volume, even in parts of far higher antiquity, the deeper we go, the greater treasure we find. The various parts are so consistent, that they afford mutual illustration; and the more earnestly we look, the greater light accrues, and consequently the greater satisfac tion. So it has always appeared to me, who have looked diligently and examined; and I trust I have not been mistaken." But if fabulous history fail to establish the existence of volcanoes in places which were "cultivated" long before the destruction of Troy, and thus enable your correspondent to infer that high antiquity of the globe he wishes to establish, we are told that, "to judge from the decay of blocks of granite exposed to the air, the earth must be 60,000 years old and upwards!" On this principle, then, it may perhaps be equally reasonable to judge, from decayed marbles in our churches, that these edifices have existed the same length of time! From such "arguments" the cause of Truth has nothing to fear. No great difficulty need occur to an impartial inind in accounting for "islands of madrepores," if such there are, "for which sovereigns now contend." If whole islands are composed of them, which must be highly problematical, they might be brought together at once by the Flood, and, like other portions of matter, speedily consolidated. The same may be said of "the hill upon which Tivoli stands;" for who can be so absurd as to imagine that it was formed by the river Teverone, which being "impregnated with argillaceous and calcareous earth, in a series of years deposits layers of this matter about as thick as the back of a knife"-and that "three years" are to be reckoned "for each quarter of an inch" in the gradual for mation of it? On the contrary, this hill, which is said to have " an elevation of about 200 feet," is more likely to have been made less by the violence of the water, than to have received any addi 109 tion,-supposing the river in rainy seasous to reach its summit. And as to the plants which can only grow in the East Indies," BOTANY is said to meet with in excavations made in Europe, enough has been said on the subject of fossils to account for their existence in those situa tions, without supposing any chauge which "must belong to epochs more remote than the 8,000 years of the monuments of Ellora." All that your correspondent has attempted to deduce from NATURAL H19TORY and COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, has also been refuted by the foregoing ob servations. The bones of various species of quadrupeds which no longer exist upon the earth, and of which no mention is made by the ancients," are unquestionably antediluvian. Their be ing, in some cases," found a hundred feet below the surface of the ground," proves them to have been buried there by the Flood. Such as the "skeleton found in Paraguay," and still preserved "in the cabinet of natural history at Madrid," are either the bones of marine animals not yet known to us, or such as became extinct at the Deluge; for though" two of every kind” are said to have entered the ark, we know that the phraseology of Scripture admits of being restrained to every kiud Divine Wisdom thought fit to preserve; or even to those which needed an asylum with Noah and his family. "The Arts," as we have already seen, are not more unfriendly to the Bible than "the sciences;" for they have no such " report to confirm" as your correspondent would have them. Though "M. Chevalier convinced himself that the first working of the mines in the island of Elba dated back upwards of 41,520 years," no wonder that "this assertion has not passed uncontradicted. And since " M. Saalhat, by a more exact calculation," fixes the period at nearly 1,000 years since the Creation, there need be no dispute on the subject, provided he can believe thein to have sur: vived the Deluge; for we have no reason to imagine that so long a period as he specifies would be required for the acquisition of such arts as might be neces sary before mines could be wrought. The calculation, therefore, which your correspondent builds on that supposition falls to the ground. "Times more remote than the beginning of the Samaritan computation," never existed; and hence we have reason to believe that "the schools of divinity" will never re 110 Equality in Death-General Lending Libraries. nounce the established opinion. Their having received the doctrine of the earth's notion, which once they rejected, is no reason why they should embrace an imaginary antiquity which would at once subvert the foundation of Theology. The one was founded on evidence they could not resist; the other is with out any solid foundation at all. It may, perhaps, be well to advise INVESTIGATOR to lay aside his "French savans" of the infidel school, and seriously examine Bishop Watson's Apology for the Bible-Simpson's Plea for Religion-The Letters of Dr. Olinthus Gregory-and Hall on Modern Infidelity;— works that may, through divine grace, bring him to a better mind, and induce him to employ his pen in a more useful manner, if ever he should write again, Mankind are sufficiently inclined to neglect the doctrines and precepts of religion, without any attempt to confirm them in that which is evil. And certainly, in the estimation of the wise and good, that man is no friend to society, or true lover of his country, who endea vours to shake people's faith in our comnion Christianity. Haverfordwest. MR. EDITOR, J. B. ALLOW me to follow up the excellent and truly Christian-like reflexions made by your correspondent Mr. WEBB, in page 487 of your last volume, on the house appointed for us all, after we have paid the debt of nature, by quoting from memory the following very apposite French lines composed on the above awful subject: Rêve d'un Malade riche. Je rêvois cette nuit que de mal consumé, extrême! [March 1, Libraries. The design of that active and intelligent divine was assuredly of a very laudable nature, and deserves to be more generally known, and more munificently supported. It is a truly lamentable fact, that many of the benefices of this kingdom are so slenderly endowed that the incumbent is barely able to procure the necessary sustenance for his family, much less to purchase those books which are requisite for the extension of his knowledge, and the illustra tion of his doctrine. Yet perhaps the plan of Dr. Bray may be extended with increased advantage beyond the precincts of the parsonage. We are now arrived at the second grand epoch of national refinement. In the reign of Elizabeth this country first disdained the humble walk it had hitherto maintained in the world of science, and, fired with emulation at the popular lectures of Erasmus, the cultivation of classic literature became a favourite study, while the frequency at that period of scholastic endowments bespeaks the fostering ardour with which it was pur sued. The acquirement of classic learning must, however, necessarily be confined to the higher walks of society; and it remained for the present age, by the institution of "schools for all," to pour the rich tide of instruction to the utmost limits of the land. Would not the esta blishment of "libraries for all" be a noble and gratifying appendix to the present extended state of national education? How worthy of the age, and how honourable to the character of the Country! This enlargement of the plan might be effected without departing from the principal feature of Dr. Bray's design. The fixed parochial library might still be appropriated solely to the use of the minister of the parish, while the lending library might be extended not only to of his parishioners as might be desirous neighbouring clergymen, but also to such of partaking of the benefit of the institution, or be deemed worthy of such privilege; the permission of the minister to be a necessary qualification, he being the custos or guardian of the village treasures. Perhaps also the contribution of a trifling periodical sum by those who used the library, might be advisable, such contribution to go in aid of additional purchases of books. The advantages attendant on such an institution would be incalculable in many a remote village, where the dit ficulty experienced by the less opulent 1816.] Protestant College in Lower Canada. classes in procuring mental aliment presents an almost insuperable obstacle to the progress of human knowledge; and I make no doubt but a plan embracing this object, and properly digested into judicious regulations, would meet with public support. As an argument for the extension of the use of the books to others besides the resident minister, permit me to no tice the treatment of a library in my immediate neighbourhood, similarly constituted with those of Dr. Bray. About the year 1721, Samuel Reynardson, esq. an inhabitant of the parish of Hillingdon, bequeathed the whole of his printed books, consisting of works in divinity, natural history, and medicine, with some voyages and travels, and a large number of historical and poetical publications, for the use of the Vicar of Hillingdon and his successors; at the same time leaving a sum of money for building a book-room, and for purchasing additional books. On reading the other day the topographical account of Middlesex in that very pleasing work, the Beauties of England and Wales, I was grieved at the statement it contained of the injurious treatment this munificent bequest experienced, which is amply, though temperately, expatiated on by the author of that work. As an inhabitant of that portion of Middlesex, I made a point of examining into the alleged abuse of this hbrary. I found indeed, as that writer avers, that the books "are in the vestry in a confused and neglected state;" to which may be added, that they are thrown on the floor of that room, exposed to the dust, and to all the destrucve effects of such a contemptuous and degrading situation? Such total neglect would never have been suffered had the parishioners participated with the vicar in the benefit of perusal. This is, however, I sincerely hope, an unique instance; a hope that I feel more confidence in indulging, from the acknowledged information and diligence of the clergy of the established church. Should these desultory remarks be considered worthy of occupying a place in your instructive pages, I trust they may suggest to some more able advocate the advantages likely to arise from opening the sources of knowledge to all who desire its attainment. Urbridge, Jan. 21, 1816. MR. EDITOR, L. T. AS your valuable publication is now to be found in most of the libraries of 111 our public institutions, and is of course scen by the Rulers of this highly-favoured land in church and state, I wish to be informed by those who may he able satisfactorily to state, why the munificent legacy of 10,0001, sterling bequeathed by the late Mr. M GILL, of Montreal, for founding a Protestant college in Lower Canada, has not been applied to that beneficial purpose? and why the great annual revenue arising from the late Jesuits' estates in that province are not, as directed, applied to the education of its youths? It amounts to several thousands per annum; and several years have clapsed since the commissioners or committee were appointed to receive the same. At the present moment, and under the circumstances of the late treaty at Ghent, and the exertions made by the Americans to overrun the British provinces on that continent, the Prince Regent's government ought not to lose a moment in giving their most serious attention to every thing connected with Canada and the adjoining colonies; and I do not think you can render a more acceptable service to your country at this time, than by calling its attention to the importance of British North America, as connected with the trade, navigation, and manufactures, of Great Britain. The fisheries on the coasts of these colonies should be immediately attended to, and every protection and encouragement held out to induce people to engage in them. Amongst these, protection from the impress by statute should be given to the seamen and boys employed in the fishing and coasting vessels of British North America. Your readers at the outports take a lively interest in the connexion with these colonies, and will, I know, deem your attention to the subject a public favour. The work On Colonial Policy, considered with relation to her North American Provinces and the West India Possessions, (mentioned in your last number, p. 66,) is by far the best treatise I have recently seen on the subject, and should be read by every one interested in their prosperity. It is evidently the production of an individual of great experience and correct local knowledge; and, with the exception of a few ill-natured remarks on the conduct of the King's reve-. nue officers in the provinces, is in every other respect deserving of great credit and attention. AN ENGLISH SHIP-OWNER. Feb. 3, 1816. 112 Remarks on the tendency of the New System of Education. [March 1, MR. EDITOR, I AM aware that any remarks which may now be offered upon the British system of education, must be liable to all those prejudices and disadvantages which attend a discussion where the sentiments of the majority have been already ascertained: for we either feel weary of listening to arguments where no new conclusion is to be gained, or when ourselves are implicated in the support of any opinion, we view all opposition to it with jealousy and distrust. I hope, however, from those principles of manly and liberal discussion on which your journal has ever been conducted, that any comments which I may make on the new system of education may be more fortunate in their reception; and I feel confident in this hope, as the inquiry shall on my part be carried on with the greatest moderation and the most unfeigned openness to conviction; for next to the pleasure of preventing error in others, I esteem that of being corrected in it myself. The inquiry as to the merits of what is now called the British system of education, may either regard the expediency of general instruction; the distinctive properties of the methods of Bell and Lancaster; or the tendency of those principles and that practice in which they both coincide. It is to this latter object that my present remarks shall be chiefly addressed; for the first question Is of too extended a nature to be fully considered here, and the second cannot perhaps be adequately discussed without descending to personalities, which I wish most especially to avoid. The advantages then held out by the advocates of this system, may be classed under the three heads, of the facility of learning, the numbers that may be educated by one master, and the ameliorution of the method of discipline. The cheapness of the plan proceeds from its first two peculiarities, and its benevolence from the last; and really from the vehemence of pathos which some of its advocates assuine when descanting on its merits, one might almost imagine that the genius of our parish schools, like the imputed tyranny of Governor Hastings, had been striding over the fields of Eng land" with a bloody sceptre in one hand, and picking a pocket with the other;" but, alas! when these hyperboles of oratory are reduced, we find that the pocket was plundered of but a few pence in the year, and that the bloody sceptre must be exchanged for that humbler one which Shenstone's poor school-mistress wielded. We might oppose perhaps to the first advantage promised by this system, a maxim, valuable at least from its antiquity, that" whatever is lightly acquired is lightly lost;" we might urge perhaps, in the words of Reynolds," that in this art, as in others, there are many teachers who profess to shew the nearest way to excellence, and many expedients have been invented by which the toil of study might be saved; but let no man be seduced by specious promises, excellence is never granted to man but as the reward of labour." Still, however, these are points which I feel willing to concede, and shall insist upon the inexpediency of such general instruction, even if it should be allowed to be effectual. Under the old horn-book system, some more months, perhaps years, might be required before the scholar could read his Testament, and in consequence of this, as I shall gladly admit, the extent of instruction was narrowed; so that as the industry of boys, even in their earliest years, could be made in some degree available to the assistance of their father, it often happened in the families of labourers and husbandmen that the female children alone attended their parish teacher; and the result of this I hold to have been far from preju dicial. It was adding another grace to the charms of that character, and another attraction to its influence, which properly to cherish and admire is the privilege of the civilized man above the savage, and of the christian above the heathen; it was confiding a power to one whose nature would scarcely suffer its abuse-whose simplicity and purity of moral taste would prevent her seeking knowledge in its defiled or turbid sources, but would guide her, like the woman of Samaria, to drink only from the well of life; it was giving to her whose exclusive duty it is to watch over the helplessness of infancy, the power of blending with the tenderness of maternal love the instruction of religious counsel; it was enabling her at the bed of sickness, that scene of woman's most endearing offices,-to administer words of comfort and admonition, that might infuse a balm of healing to deeper ills than those of mere bodily disease. Thus it was then that the former system, though it straightened somewhat the sphere of instruction, yet gave to the character of * Reynolds' 2d lecture. |