Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work.

  • Maillet, Benoît de, 1656-1738. Telliamed. English
Date:
1797
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    [ >** ] the caftle of Rofitfe, now more than a mile from the fea, was within a gun-fhot of it ? You know, we mull grant that the fortrefs of Damiette was hard by the mouth of the Nile fifty years ago, in order to hinder the Chrijlian corfairs from entering that river. These enlargements of earth near rivers, which like the Nile, the Loire, the Rhone, and the Garon- ne, carry a great deal of fand to the fea, have in- deed fomething very dubious, when confidered as proofs of its diminution. Its waters, I know, may be put at a diftance from thefe places by the mat- ter conveyed thither by the rivers, without their furfaces being funk. But it is not l'o with the marks which you fee of her diminution at the high mountains and rocks on which fhe beats. Confi- der in Provence, the fteep rocks which ferve as a mole to the fea. Examine the coaft of Genes, ef- pecially from Se/lri, on the eafl, to Ports-vcnere, you will there find, without any poffibiiity of doubt or mifhke, the parts at which the fea has arrived, but which fiie does not now touch. You will there obferve the fame fhells, which (he fixes to the place where fhe beats ; but whitened, as well a the rocks, by the air, in proportion as they roic above the furface of the water. You will there obferve the fame depreffions which the billows form in the tendered parts of the rocks againfl which they beat. The perfons who are ever fo much prejudiced againfl the diminution of the fea, mud: in thefe parts read their own condemna- tion. The number of ages, and the degree of dimi- nution of the fea, are known upon thefe rocks.— We can, at lead, diftinguifli the period of a thou- fand years, by the different impreffions made from