The theory of the earth : containing an account of the original of the earth, and of all the general changes which it hath already undergone, or is to undergo till the consummation of all things. The two first books concerning the deluge, and concerning paradise.

  • Burnet, Thomas, 1635?-1715.
Date:
1697
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The theory of the earth : containing an account of the original of the earth, and of all the general changes which it hath already undergone, or is to undergo till the consummation of all things. The two first books concerning the deluge, and concerning paradise. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    38/266 (page 8)
    clivity from the fhore to the middle part of the Chanel, fo that one comes by degrees into the depth of it·, and thofe ihory parts are generally but fome fathoms deep. Belides, in arms of the Sea, in Straits, and among Iflands, there is commonly no great depth, and fome places are plain fhallows. So as upon a moderate computation, one place compar’d with another, we may take a quarter of a mile, or about an hundred fathoms, for the com¬ mon meafure of the depth of the Sea, if we were caft into a Chanel of an equal depth every where. This being fuppos’d, there would need four Oceans to lie upon this Ocean, to raife it up to the top of the Mountains, or fo high as the Waters of the Deluge rife·, then four Oceans more to lie upon the Land, that the Water there might fwell to the fame height ·, which together make eight Oceans for the proportion of the Water requir’d in the Deluge. ’Tis true, there would not be altogether fo much Water re¬ quir’d for the Land as for the Sea, to raife them to an equal height ·, becaufe Mountains and Hills would rill up part of that fpace upon the Land, and fo make lefs Water requifite. But to compenfatc this, and confirm our computation, we mu ft confi- der in the firft place, that we have taken a much lefs height of the Mountains than is requifite, if we refped the Med Terraneous Mountains, or thofe that are at a great diftance from the Sea5 For their height above the furface of the Sea, computing the declivity of the Land all along from the Mountains to the Sea-ride ( and that there is fuch a declivity is manifeft from the courfe and defcent of the Rivers) is far greater than the proportion we have taken: The height of Mountains is ufually taken from the foot of them, or from the next Plain, which if it be far from the Sea, we may reafonably allow as much for the decleniion of the Land from that place to the Sea, as for the immediate height of the Mountain·, So, for inftance, the Mountains of the Moon in Africa, whence the Nile flows, and after a long courfe falls into the Mediterranean Sea by Egypt, are fo much higher than the furface of that Sea, firft, as the Afcent of the Land is from the Sea to the foot of the Mountains, and then as the height of the Mountains is from the bottom to the top: For both thefe are to be computed when you meafure the height of a Mountain, or of a mountainous Land, in refped of the Sea: And the height of Mountains to the Sea being thus computed, there would be need of fix or eight Oceans to raife the Sea alone as high as the high- eft Iri-land Mountains ·, And this is more than enough to corn- pen fate the lefs quantity of Water that would be requifite upon the Land. Befides, we muft confider the Regions of the Air up¬ wards to be more capacious than a Region of the fame thick- nefs in or near the Earth, fo as if an Ocean pour’d upon the fur¬ face of the dry Land, fuppofing it were all fmooth, would rife to the height of half a quarter of a mile every where·, the like quan¬ tity of Water pour’d again at the height of the Mountains, would not have altogether the fame etfed, or would not there raife the mafs half a quarter of a mile higher ·, for thefurfaces of a Globe, the