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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    C >5S ] flight alteration in a tempeft, which raifes the bil- lows in one part, and deprefies them in another by fome cubits, this tempeft no fooner ceafes, than they return to their natural fituation. Thus their elevation ought to be equal all over the globe, and their fituation uniform. The waters of the fea could not be collected in the center of the globe, where there has never any vacuity been found below the furface of the waters, large enough to contain the quantity which is want- ing from the fummits of the mountains to their prefent level. This is eafily demonftrable. If our mountains had only been formed and reared upon an empty cruft, which by opening, might have received the waters, and occafioned their prodigi- ous diminution ; would not the waters which we find in the bofom of the earth after we have pierced this crufl, be fait like thofe of the fea ? However, the deeper wells are, the fweeter waters they con- tain. Befides,.this vacuity when once filled, would prove no longer an occafion of the diminution of the fea, which is daily continued. It is therefore evident beyond difpute, that this diminution of the fea is real and actual, otherwife her furface, inftead of fubfiding, would be raifed ; for the rivers, torrents and rains, continually carrying a part of the grounds which they warn, to her, and the winds perpetually conveying dull into her, the bulk of all thefe fubftances muft raife her waters proportionably ; but on the contrary her furface is daily and vifibly diminilhed. This is evident from the fenfible marks of her diminution, which fhe has imprinted on the fteep rocks on which (he as yet beats. I know, continued our philosopher, you firmly believe that the elements are not tranfmutable. I