2 SURFACE OF THE EARTH. folid parts of the earth are principally compo- fed of Earthy foffils; and the Saline, Inflam mable and Metallic foffils occur in very various and remarkable relations, in the greater and more prevalent maffes, yet always in fuch a proportion, that when viewed on the great fcale, they do not contribute to the formation of the figure of the earth or its furface. 3. When we examine the furface of the globe more particularly, a certain locality of its inequa lities is to be obferved. Thus the molt conlider- able inequalities, thofe, namely, which prefent the molt frequent and the deepelt feftions and fiffures, are always found in the more elevated regions.; while in the lower places we obferve very few] and by no means fuch fpecial elevations and depreffions. We further obferve, that the maffes of which the higher and lower parts of the earth are compofed, are by no means of the fame nature. The elevated, rugged, and very uneven places, are moftly compofed of Rocky Malfes, which prefent to the eye rough, bare, and fiffiired cliffs, mural precipices, and even entire rocky val leys. On the other hand, in the lower parts of the earth, we find in general Earthy Maffes, as clay, loam, fand, and rolled ftones; but neither cliffs nor rocky valleys, and only Angle blocks of the mate rials of the more elevated places. The