predictions, I fhall expofe myself to ridicule; for, as Helvetius fays, "Every idea too remote from our or"dinary views and manner of think❝ing, appears ridiculous. We never "value any ideas but fuch as are "confonant to our own, because self"love prompts us to admire our"felves in others." Account of fuch Stones found in Scotland as are fit for ornamental Architecture†. T is a fingular lofs to the arts, efpecially to ornamental architecture, that men of fortune are not generally naturalifts, at least, fo far as to be acquainted with the peculiar diftinguishable characters, qualities,. and excellencies of the. finer ftones, and to be able to judge which is beft for their particular purpofes; and, not to be obliged, as they generally are, to leave it to the caprice or intereft of the stone-cutter, to chufe for them, who is naturally fuppofed to ftudy his prefent ease and advantage, more than the duration and future beauty of the piece. larly excellent ftones, molt of which are fit for any thing that ever was done in ftone in any part of the world. The first that I will take notice of are fome excellent marbles. 1. A few miles from Blairgowrie in Perthfire, not far from the high road fide, towards the north, there is an excellent, granulated, broad-bedded limeftone, of a fugar loaf texture, and as white as the fineft ftatuary marble; I look upon this to be a good fpecies of the true Parian marble of the ancients; and as it may be eafily raifed in blocks and flabs perfectly free of blemishes, is uniformly of a pure, white, and free and eafy to be worked in ftatuary and other ornamental architecture, I think it only requires to be well known and brought into ufe, to become of great value. 2. There is fome of this fpecies of ftone in the Duke of Gordon's lands, in the foreft of Glenavon, compofed of fine glittering broad grains like fpangles, as large as the fcales of fishes, but the fituation is remote, and difficult of accefs. When men of rank and fortune attend to the progrefs and encouragement of the arts, they are fure to arrive at confiderable degrees of perfection in any country. Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Italy, are fo famous for their great works in ornamental architecture, for the rare qualities of their materials, and the excellent workmanship of fome remains of antiquity, that they have been the wonder of many ages, and they, ftill continue to be admired. It has many times vexed me to reflect, that our wealthy people and eminent artists 3. The fine white ftatuary marble fhould fend to foreign countries, for of Affint in Sutherland. The marble ftones for ornamental architecture, of Affint has a juft title to an enti when, perhaps, no country can pro- nent rank among peculiar and excelduce fo great a variety of the moft ex- lent ftones; and although I pointed cellent ftones for that purpose as are out that marble in my general view to be found in Great Britain; and, of the limestones of Scotland, I will therefore, in cafe pofterity fhould take the freedom to repeat here, that grow wifer, I will point out a few of it is the whiteft, the pureft, and beft: 1 +From Williams's Natural Hiftory of the Mineral Kingdom. that that ever I faw: That there is none better, if fo good, in all Europe: That blocks and flabs of any fize may be cut out perfectly folid and pure, free from any flaws or blemishes whatsoever: That there is enough of it to ferve all Britain, and much more, bat there is bad accefs to it; nor would it be eafily quarried, being fituated in and under the bed of a fmall river, with fome cover above it of a loofe, foft, white limestone. This excellent ftone is of the pureft white, and of a fine fmooth uniform texture in the infide, of a bright appearance when broken, and of fo fine and pure a quality, that the edges of a fragment are femi-tranfparent. In short, this is a very fuperior marble; but I am afraid, that the real beft quarry is only known to myfelf. It is only to be feen in one place in the river, the reft of it covered with the white fhattery limeftone mentioned above. It is now twenty years fince I visited that country, fo that I have forgotten the particular name of the place. But a gentleman (I think Mr M'Kenzie of Ardloch) lived then in a large houfe near this marble, fine maffes of which were to be feen in his office houfes. The marble is in the bed of the river, not far to the northward of that house. 4. Near the farm-houses upon the north fide of the ferry of Ballachy lih in Lochaber, there is a limestone or marble rock, of a beautiful afhengrey colour, and of a fine regular uniform grain or texture, capable of being raifed in blocks or flabs of any fize, and capable of receiving a fine polish. This fingular rock is finely fprinkled throughout with grains and specks of fine bright mundick, or pyrites, and likewife with grains and fpecks of beautiful lead ore of a fine texture, which to the eye.appears to be rich in filver. This would make a bright and beautiful metallic marble. 5. In the farm of Blairmachyldach, about three miles fouth of Fortwilliam, in the bed of a river, there is a very fingular marble, confifting of a black ground, and flowered with white. This ftone is of a fine close grain or uniform texture, but not very hard, and the flowering in it is light, elegant, and beautiful, like fine needlework, or rather refembling the frofty fret work upon glafs windows in a winter morning; and this flowering is not only upon the outfide, but quite through all parts of the body of the ftone. Secondly, Jafper, of which there is Banff-fhire; fome parts of that rock an extenfive rock, near Portfoy in contain a beautiful mixture of green and red, &c. which appear finely fhaded and clouded through the body of the ftone when polifhed. in the old ruinous houfe of the I faw chimney- pieces of this ftone Boyne in that neighbourhood, in which a confiderable portion of red, or fine rofe or blufh colour, is fhaded beautiful clouds through all parts of with the green, and fpread out in the ftone. Thefe jambs and lintels ed the luftre of their polifh undecaywere exceeding beautiful, and retained. This would be a valuable jasper quarry, if properly opened; but as the body of the rock is hard and ill to work, I have feen no good famples of it, excepting the above-mentioned old jambs. Ill-chofen imperfect blocks are torn off from the outfide of the rock, which hurts its reputation, I have feen fine rock there of a great beauty, but I never faw any of it. quarried, nor can it be quarried without kill and expence. Thirdly, Agate. There is a large patch of fine agate upon the fide of a hill near the church of Rothes in Moray, chiefly of a fine mixture of the red and white colours. This is a very beautiful patch of rock. It is very hard and heavy, of P 2 a fine a fine smooth uniform texture, and of confiderable brightness, in which the red and white, &c. are remarkably clear, and finely mixt and fhaded through the ftone. This is the largest and most beautiful agate rock I ever faw, and fo fine and hard as to be capable of the high ft luftre in polishing. Fourthly, Porphyry, of which a great part of the hill of Bineves in Lochaber is compofed. The porphyry of Bineves. is a remarkably fine, beautiful, and elegant ftone of a reddish caft, in which the pale-rofe, the bluth, and the yellowith white colours, are finely blend ed and fhaded through the body of the ftone, which is of a gelly-like tex ture, and is, undoubtedly, one of the fineft and moft elegant ftones in the world. About three-fourths of the way up this hill, upon the north-weft fide, there is found a porphyry of a green ish colour, with a tinge of a brownish red. This. ftone is fmooth, compact, hard, and heavy, of a clofe uniform texture, but of no brightnefs when broken. It is fpotted with angular fpecks, of a white quartzy fubftance. Fiftbly, Granite, which, with the granite-like porphyry above-mentioned, I reckon the glory of all stones, as all the beauties and excellencies of all other ftones of mixed colours, are most eminently contained in thefe. The finer and moft elegant red granite, and the finest granite-like por, phyries, are fo near a-kin to one another in quality and appearance, that I will not attempt a diftinguishable defcription of them. Scotland is remarkable for a great number and variety of granites, of which I have given fome account in my general view of the prevailing rocks of North Brie tain; and I believe, I may venture to fay in favour of many Scots granites, that the world cannot produce any more excellent in quality and beauty. The elegant reddish granite of Bi neves, near Fortwilliam, is perhaps the best and most beautiful in the world; and there is enough of it to ferve all the kingdoms of the world, though they were all as fond of gra nite as ancient Egypt. There are extenfive rocks of red granite, upon the fea fhore, to the weft of the Ferry of Ballachylifh, in Appin; and likewife at Strontian, as well as many other parts of Argyle-fhire. I have seen beautiful red granite by the road fide, north of Dingwall, and in feveral other parts of the north of Scotland, which had been blown to pieces with gun powder, and turned off the fields. There are extensive rocks of reddish granite about Peterhead and Slains; and both of red and grey granite in the neighbour. hood of Aberdeen. The hill of Cruffel in Galloway, and feveral lower hills and extenfive rocks in that neigh. bourhood, are of red and grey granite, where there are great varieties of that ftone, and many of them excellent. Upon the fea-fhore, near Kinedore, weft of Loffiemouth in Moray, there is a bed of stone about eight feet thick, which I think should be called a compofite granite, This fingular ftratum is compofed of large grains, or rather fmall pieces of various bright and beautiful ftones of many different colours; and all the tony parts are exceeding hard, and fit to receive the highest polish; but what is most fingular, about a fixth or eighth part of this remarkable ftratum is good clean blue lead ore, of the fpecies called potter's ore. I know that the feparate ftony parts compofing this ftratum are all hard, fine, and folid, and capable of the most brilliant polish; but I do not now remember whether or not folid blocks of it can be raised perfectly free from all cracks and flaws. If they can, I imagine, from the beauty and variety of the colours of the Rony parts, and the great quantity of Wight lead ore, which is blended through the body and compofition of the Rone, that this would be a very curious and beautiful ftone when polihed. Sixthly, Bafalts, of which there is a very great variety of the grey kinds in many parts of Scotland, and fome of them are capable of the brighteft polith. There is a good black ftone of this fpecies, formed into large columns, upon the fouth fide of Arthur's Seat, near Edinburgh, of a fine uni form texture, and a good black colour, and capable of receiving a very high polith. This ftone would be peculi arly fit for all forts of ornaments a bout fepulchral monuments. It will polish to a bright and beautiful black which will be unfading. Of the Origin and Formation of Coal. BELIEVE it is out of my power, and out of the power of any other man in the world, to produce a more clear, compleat, and decifive proof of the univerfal deluge, than our pit coal; and also, of the wisdom and be nevolence of the Supreme Being, in over-ruling the events and operations of nature, and bringing about the good and emolument of man by that extraordinary revolution. It appears to me evident and past a doubt, that timber was the origin and principal matter of which coal was compofed; and if we allow the origin of coal to be timber, it is impoffible to give any rational account of the form and fituation of the (trata of coal, without admitting the doctrine of the deluge to be true. That coal was compofed of timber, is in fome measure evident to our fenfes. I have feen the grain and figure of timber fo diftinctly in the ftrata of Coal, as to be certain that it really had been timber, and that it really was when I faw it, partly imperfect coal, and partly destroyed or fpoiled timber; and it was this obfervation and difcovery that firft excited me to epquire and fearch out the true origin of coal. I am not the only perfon that has feen the appearance of timber in coal. I have, fince my first difcovery, converfed with feveral gentlemen who have made the fame obfervation; but, for any thing I know to the contrary, I was the first that ever attempted to account for the phenomenon, by having recourfe to the universal deluge. Let us take a curfory view of the coals already difcovered in Britain, in order to give us fome idea of the quantity of this very useful mineral fewel. What a vaft number of feams or ftrata of coal are there between Haddington and Edinburgh!-between Edinburgh and Stirling in the fhires of Fife and Clackmannan !-in the fhires of Lanark, Renfrew, Dum fries, and Ayr, in Scotland!What an immenfe number in the fhires of Cumberland, Northumberland, Dur ham, Nottingham, Stafford, Salop, and all the other coal countries in England and Wales !-and yet, what is this fmall island in comparison of the rest of the habitable parts of this globe?-But a fpeck. Nevertheless, it may justly be called a fortunate ifland. It is fo wholefome and tem perate, and fo plentifully ftored with all neceffaries and conveniencies, for the employment and maintenance of multitudes of people in a focial and commercial ftate, that perhaps no + From the fame, ifland ifland nor nation under heaven is in every refpect fo well furnished, and fo highly favoured. Great Britain is a great word in the mouth of a Briton, yet it is but a fpot when we compare it with the reft of the world. What a vast quantity of coal may we then fuppofe to be depofited in all parts of the fuperfi cies of the globe. The quantity must be immense. At the fame time it must be allowed, that all parts of the globe are not for plentifully flored with this fewel as Britain. There is almost none in Britain itself, to the north of the Ochil Hills. There is, as yet, but little difcovered in Ireland, and fill lefs in proportion in many extenfive northern regions.There are extenfive tracts of granite, and other rocks not commonly affociated with coal, in many parts of the globe, where none is to be expected; but after all these deductions, the quantity to be found all over the globe must be immenfe. It may be properly asked, where I am to find timber enough to produce all this coal? This may at firft fight appear to fame abfurd and impoffible: However, it does not appear to me in that light; and I hope to give a fatisfactory account of the matter to every impartial enquirer before I quit this point of investigation. I have good reafon to believe, (contrary to the opinion of many,) that there was but a fmall part of the antediluvian earth inhabited; but as I cannot prove thofe reafons by indifputable facts, I, will not infift upon them, but will leave it as a fuppofition. It was a small part of Afia, and perhaps a very little, of Africa, that I fuppofe to have been inhabited before the flood; and the modern difcovery of human bones in the body of the ftrata, and blended in the compofition of the folid rocks in the country of Dalmatia, and in feveral of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea to the weftward of Afja, jn, my thoughts, gives no fmall fupport to that opinion. Let us reflect, that Dalmatia, and the islands in the neighbourhood of that country, are directly in the run of the high tides, (upon the fuppofition of the chaotic ftate of the earth I infift upon at the deluge,) which at least gives the fuggeftion a greater air of probability. For we may juftly fuppofe, that all fuch fubftances would be carried fomewhat weftward by the high tides of fuch a deluge, before they would fettle with other matter, and be lodged in ftrata. Allow me for once to beg the question, where I cannot avowedly lay claim to it by proving the fact; and let us fuppofe, that only a confiderable part of Afia, and perhaps a very fmall part of Africa, were inhabited before the deluge; and in that cafe, by far the greatest part of the earth lay wafte, and of confequence, all the uninhabited parts of the earth would be entirely covered with the tallest and most luxuriant growth of timber imaginable; and, at least, one half of the inhabited countries would be in the fame condition. America is a fufficient proof that the uninhabited and thinly inhabited parts of the antediluvian earth would be fo covered with timber. Let us examine how much tall timber will grow upon a fquare mile of good foil, when fheltered by tall timber on all hands: Again, how much will grow upon a thoufand fquare miles, and fo on, over the greatest part of the dry land all round the globe; and in this view of the fubject, we fhall find, that the original fources of the coal correspond with the quantity of it in the world. I will here beg leave to propofe another probable fource of coal. I believe I may call it a real one, and that is the antediluvian peat-bog. I have really feen ftrata of coal that have all imaginable marks of being compofed or formed of that combustible fubftance. The colour, qua |