Crruft, whofe bafe is equal to the base of the incumbent Column of water, and one fourth part of its height will weigh as much, or prefs the Cruft as much downwards as the whole Column of water could do; but the height of the water being a tenth part of the depth of the whole Cruft, the height of the additional Column that weighs as much as the water, must be a fortieth part of the depth of the Cruft. From hence it follows, that the height or thickness of the Cruft before the additional Column is laid on, is to its thickness after the additional Column is laid on, as 40 is to 41. The whole problem then is plainly reduced to this; Having two Cylinders or Columns of the fame intenfive gravity, but of different heights that fwim in any Fluid, to find what proportion the parts or heights immerged bear to one another. By a known propofition in Hydroftaticks, the part immerged of each Cylinder, bears the fame proportion to the whole Cylinder, that the intenfive gravity of the Cylinder bears to the intenfive gravity of the Fluid; from thence it is evident, that the parts immerged have the fame proportion that their respective whole Cylinders have to one another; which in the prefent cafe is as forty to forty one. By this it is clear, that the additional weight of the incumbent water would not fink the Cruft above one fortieth part deeper into the Abyss, than it was before; and therefore it

could

could never rife by fuch a preffure fo high as the Surface of the Earth. But if we fhould fuppofe that the preffure on the Cruft fhould be fo great as to prefs the Abyss upwards, and the waters in it to the Surface of the Earth; it is certain, that in such a cafe, when the waters in the Abyss had afcended to the Surface, there must be a communication between the Abyss and it: by this communication, the waters on the Surface must neceffarily defcend and lye immediately on the Abyss; and fo the cafe would be reduced to the former one, where the water is fuppofed to prefs inmediately on the Fluid in the Abyfs; by which preffure, the Cruft would be fo far from finking deeper, that it would be raised to a greater height, as I have shown before. From all this it is demonftratively evident, that by no fort of preffure of the incumbent fluid the Abyfs could be forced upwards to spread it felf on the Surface of the

Earth.

Another Argument, which may be urged againft deriving water from Mr. Whifton's Abyfs, is this; He fuppofes the Abyss to confift of a very denfe Fluid, whose intensive gravity is greater than the gravity of the Cruft which fubfided into it: but this Cruft being three or four times heavier than water it must be immediately contiguous to the Abyss; fo that there can be no room for any confiderable quantity of water to lye between

them;

them; and therefore it is plain that whatever water was raised from the Abyss must be only on the Cracks and Fiffures of the Earth. But Mr. Whifton fupposes that the half of that water at leaft which was neceffary for the Deluge was derived from the Abyfs, that is, as I fhall hereafter prove, there must have been eleven times more water derived from the Abyss than there is in the whole Ocean; which is a prodigious greater quantity than the Cracks and Fillures can be fuppofed able to contain. Perhaps Mr. Whi fton will grant, that the greatest part of what was drawn from the Abyfs was not pure water, but that denfe and heavy Fluid on which the Cruft fubfided: but if it were fo, it is certain that fuch a Fluid being heavier than water muft have taken its place next to the Surface of the Earth, and have filled up all the pits, holes, and valleys that were on the Earth; nay it would have driven the Sea out of its Channel, and would have compleatly filled its place, where it would have remained to this day. It is moft evident, that if fuch a thing had happened, there would have been vast quantities of that denfe and heavy Fluid ftill abiding on the Surface of the Earth, and in pits and holes, there being nothing to drive it from thence into the Fiffures again: But yet it is evident from Obfervations, that there is not any fuch thing in Nature to be feen, and that there is no

where

where to be found any quantity of such a denfe and heavy Fluid, which Mr. Whifton fuppofes covered the Earth at the time of the Deluge. There is only a little Quick-filver which is found in fome Mines in the very bowels of the Earth; but the quantity of it is fo fmall and inconfiderable, that we cannot poffibly fuppofe it to be the remains of the Fluid in the Abyfs. For if ever there had been any fuch Fluid on the Surface of the Earth, there must have certainly remained greater quantities of it to this day, fince as I have obferved before, the very Seas muft have been full of it.

I freely acknowledge Mr. Whifton's Hypothefis about Shells, Bones, Teeth, and other Exuvie of Land and Sea Animals, found and dug out of the Bowels of the Earth to be very Ingenious and more Philofophical than any other Hypothefis that I have yet feen; fo that to me it feems indeed probable, that the water which made the Deluge from whence foever it was derived, had in it much Mud and Earthy matter; which after the waters were gone off, fettled on the Surface of the old Earth, and became a new Cruft; in which these Shells, Teeth, and Bones fubfided. This Hypothefis I think, doth very naturally explain all the Phænomena Dr. Woodward mentions in his Theory, and on that account it may be easily admitted as a

true one.

I come now to confider Mr. Whifton's way, by which he fuppofes all the waters, that were neceffary for the Deluge, were drawn of the Earth. He imagins this to be performed partly by a wind which dried up fome, and partly by the defcent of the waters through the Cracks and Fiffures of the Earth; to which the wind by hurrying the waters up and down would be very fufficient. Before I examin thefe caufes, it is fit that I fhould make an estimate of the quantity of water, that would be neceffary to cover the whole Earth above the tops of the highest Mountains. Dr. Burnet in his Theory of the Earth, reckons it to be about eight Oceans of water, fuppofing the Surface of the Sea to be equal to the Land, and to be every where a quarter of a Mile deep, taking one place with another. But on the fame fuppofition, I believe, I can more exactly determin it to be near three times as much. I muft here aflume, that the height of the highest Mountain above the level of the Ocean, is above three Miles perpendicular height. I know Varenius in his Geographia Generalis, Calculates the height of the Pico in the Inland of Tenerife, to be one German Mile, or above four English Miles in height and tho' I am inclined to believe, that its height is yet greater than Varenius makes it (for he feems to allow too much, both for refraction and errors in the Obfervations;) yet because three Miles is the height,

Mr.