Clouds and Rains, to temperate the Cold (c) of the Northern frozen Air, to cool and mitigate the

Heats

afcending out of the Water. A fmall Heat throws off but few Vapours, fcarce vifible: A greater Heat, and afcending in greater Quantities, carries off groffer, larger, and more numerous Veficula, which we call a Steam : And if the Heat breaks through the Water with fuch a Fury, as to lacerate and lift up great Quantities or Bubbles of Water, too heavy for the Air to carry or buoy up, it caufeth what we call Boyling. And the Particles of Water thus mounted up by the Heat, are vifible Sphærules of Water, if viewed with a Microfcope, as they fwim about in a Ray of the Sun let into a dark Room, with warm Water underneath; where fome of the Vapours appear large, fome fmaller Sphærules, according (no doubt) to the larger and leffer Quantities of Heat blowing them up and carrying them off. 2. If thefe Vapcurs be intercepted in their Afcent by any Context, efpecially cold Body, as Glafs, Marble, c. they are thereby reduced into Drops, and Maffes of Water, like thofe of Rain, &c. 3. Thefe Vapours in their Afcent from the Water, may be observed, in cold frosty Weather, either to rife but a little above the Water, and there to hang, or to glide on a little above its Surface: Or if the Weather be very cold, after a little afcent, they may be seen to fall back again into the Water; in their Afcent and Defcent defcribing a Curve fomewhat like that of an Arrow from a Bow. But in a warmer Air, and ftill, the Vapours afcend more nimbly and copioufly, mounting up aloft, till they are out of Sight. But if the Air be warm and windy too, the Vapours are fooner carried out of Sight, and make way for others. And accordingly I have often obferved, that hot Liquors, if not fet too thin, and not frequently flirred, -cool flower in the greateft Frofts, than in temperate Weather, especially if windy. And it is manifeft by good Experiments, that the Evaporations are lefs at thofe times than thefe; leis by far in the Winter than the warmer Months.

(c) As our Northern Islands are obferved to be more tem-perate than our Continents, (of which we had a notable Inftance in the great Froft in 170, which Ireland and Scotland felt lefs of, than moft Parts of Europe befides; of which fee Book IV. Chap. 12. Note c.) fo this Temperature is owing to the warm Vapours afforded chiefly by the Sea, which by the preceding Note muft neceffarily be warm, as they are Vapours, or Water inflated by Heat.

The Caufe of this Heat I take to be partly that of the Sun, and partly Subterraneous. That it is not wholly that of E

the

Heats (d) of the Torrid Zone, and to refresh the Earth with fertile Showers; yea, in fome measure to minifter fresh Waters to the Fountains and Rivers. Nay, fo abundant is this great Bleffing, which the most indulgent Creator hath afforded us by means of this Diftribution of the Waters I am speaking of, that there is more than a fcanty, bare Provifion, or mere Sufficiency; even a Plenty, a Surplufage of this ufeful Creature of God, (the fresh Waters) afforded to the World; and they fo well ordered, as not to drown the Nations of the Earth, nor to ftagnate, ftink, and poifon, or annoy them; but to be gently carried through convenient Chanels back again

the Sun, is manifeft from Vapours, being as, or more copioufly raised when the Sun Beams are weakeft, as when strongeft, there being greater Rains and Winds at the one time than the other. And that there is fuch a thing as Subterraneous Heat, (whether Central, or from the meeting of Mineral Juices or fuch as is Congenial or Connatural to our Globe, I have not Time to enquire; but I fay, that fuch a Thing is,) is evident not only from the Hot-Baths, many fiery Erruptions and Explosions, &c. but alfo from the ordinary Warmth of Cellars and Places under Ground, which are not barely comparatively warm, but of fufficient Heat to raise Vapours alfo: As is manifeft from the fmoking of perennial Fountains in frofty Weather, and Water drawn out of Pumps and open Wells at fuch a Time. Yea, even Animals themselves are fenfible of it, as particularly Moles, who dig before a Thaw, and against fome other Alterations of the Weather; excited, no doubt, thereunto by the fame warm Vapours arifing in the Earth, which animate them, as well as produce the fucceeding Changes of the Weather.

(d) Befides the Trade-Winds, which ferve to mitigate the exceffive Heats in the Torrid Zone; the Clouds are a good Screen against the fcorching Sun-Beams, efpecially when the Sun paffeth their Zenith; at which Time is their Winter, or cooleft Seafon, by reason they have then moft Clouds and Rain. For which Service, that which Varene takes notice of, is a great Providence of God, viz. Pleraque loca Zona Torrida vi. cinum habent mare, ut India, Infula Indica, Lingua Africa, Guinea, Brafilia, Peruvia, Mexicana, Hifpania: Pauca loca Zona Torrida funt Mediterranea. Varenii. Geogr. 1. 2. c. 26. Prop. 10. S. 7.

to

51 to their grand Fountain (e) the Sea; and many of them through fuch large Tracts of Land, and to fuch prodigious Distances, that it is a great Wonder the

Fountains

(e) That Springs have their Origine from the Sea, and not from Rains and Vapours, among many other ftrong Reafons, I conclude from the Perennity of divers Springs, which always afford the fame quantity of Water. Of this fort there are many to be found every where. But I fhall, for an Inftance, fingle out one in the Parish of Upminster, where I live, as being very proper for my purpose, and one that I have had better Opportunities of making Remarks upon above twenty Years. This in the greatest Droughts is little, if at all diminished, that I could perceive by my Eye, although the Ponds all over the Country, and an adjoining Brook have been dry for many Months together; as particularly in the dry Summer Months of the Year 1705. And in the wettest Seasons, fuch as the Summer and other Months were, preceding the violent Storm in November 1703. (Vid. Philof. Tranf. No. 289.) I fay, in fuch wet Seasons I have not obferved any Increment of its Stream, excepting only for violent Rains falling therein, or running down from the higher Land into it; which difcoloureth the Waters oftentimes, and makes an increase of only a Day's, or fometimes but a few Hours Continuance. But now, if this Spring had its Origine from Rain and Vapours, there would be an increase and decrease of the one, as there should happen to be of the other: As actually it is in fuch temporary Springs as have undoubtedly their Source from Rain and Vapours.

But befides this, another confiderable Thing in this Upmin fter Spring (and Thousands of others) is, that it breaks out of fo inconfiderable an Hillock, or Eminence of Ground, that can have no more Influence in the Condensation of the Vapours, or stopping the Clouds, which the Maintainers of this Hypothefis fuppofe) than the lower Lands about it have. By fome Critical Obfervations I made with a very nice portable Barometer,. I found that my Houfe ftands between 80 and 90 Feet higher than the Low-Water Mark in the River of Thames, nearest me; and that part of the River being scarce thirty Miles from the Sea, I guess, (and am more confirmed from fome later Experiments I made nearer the Sea) that we cannot be much above 100 Feet above the Sea. The Spring I judge nearly level with, or but little higher than where my House ftands; and the Lands from whence it immediately iffues, I guefs about 15 or 20 Feet higher than the Spring; and the Lands above that, of no very remarkable Height. E 2 And

Fountains should be high enough (f), or the Seas low enough, ever to afford fo long a Conveyance. Witness the Danube (g) and Wolga of Europe, the

And indeed, by actual Measure, one of the highest Hills I have met with in Effex, is but 363 Feet high; (Vid. Phil. Tranf. No. 313. p. 16.) and I guefs by fome very late Experiments I made, neither that, nor any other Land in Effex, to be above 400 Feet above the Sea. Now what is fo inconfiderable a rise of Land to a perennial Condensation of Vapours, fit to maintain even fo inconfiderable a Fountain, as what I have mentioned is? Or indeed the High-lands of the whole large County of Effex, to the maintaining of all its Fountains and Rivulets?

But I fhall no farther profecute this Argument, but refer to the late learned, curious and induftrious Dr. Plot's Tentamen Phil. de Orig. Font. in which he hath fully difcuffed this Matter.

As to the manner how the Waters are raifed up into the Mountains and higher Lands, an eafy and natural Reprefentation may be made of it, by putting a little Heap of Sand, Afhes, or a little Loaf of Bread, c. in a Bason of Water; where the Sand will reprefent the dry Land, or an Island, and the Bafon of Water the Sea about it. And as the Water/ in the Bafon rifeth to, or near the top of the Heap in it, fo doth the Waters of the Sea, Lakes, c. rife in the Hills. Which cafe I take to be the fame with the afcent of Liquids in capillary Tubes, or between contiguous Planes, or in a Tube filled with Afhes: Of which the industrious and compleat Artificer in Air-Pumps, Mr. Hawkfbee, hath given us fome, not contemptible Experiments, in his Phyf. Mech. Exp. pag. 139.

Among the many Caufes affigned for this afcent of Liquors, there are two that bid the fairest for it, viz. the Pressure of the Atmosphere, and the Newtonian Attraction. That it is not the former, appears from the Experiments fucceeding, as well, or better in Vacuo, than in the open Air, the afcent being ra ther fwifter in Vacuo. This then being not the Caufe, I fhall fuppofe the other is; but for the Proof thereof, I shall refer to fome of our late English Authors, especially fome very late Experiments made before our most famous R. S. which will be fo well improved by fome of that illuftrious Body, as to go near to put the Matter out of doubt.

(f) See Book III. Chap. 4.

(g) The Danube in a fober Account, performs a Course of above 1500 Miles, (i. e. in a ftrait Line) from its Rife to its Fall. Bohun's Geogr. Dict.

Nile (b) and the Niger (i) of Africk, the Ganges (k) and Euphrates of Afia, and the Amazons River (1) and Rio de la Plata of America, and many others which might be named; fome of which are faid to run above 5000 Miles, and fome no less than 6000 from their Fountains to the Sea. And indeed fuch prodigious Conveyances of the Waters make it manifeft, that no accidental Currents and Alterations of the Waters themselves, no Art or Power of Man, nothing less than the Fiat of the Almighty, could ever have made, or found, fo long and commodious Declivities, and Chanels for the Paffage of the Waters.

(h) Traftus fc. Longitudo [Nili] eft milliarium circiter 630 Germ. five Ital. 2520, pro quibus ponere licet 3000 propter curvaturas. Varen. Geogr. l. I. c. 16. p. 27.

(i) Varene reckons the Courfe of the Niger, at a middle Computation, 600 German Miles, that is 2400 Italian.

(k) That of the Ganges he computes at 300 German Miles. But if we add the Curvatures to thefe Rivers, their Chanels are of a prodigious Length.

(1) Oritur, flumen (quod plerumque Amazonum, &c.) haud procul Quito in montibus Cùm per leucas Hifpanicas 1356. curfum ab occidente in orientem continuârit, oftio 84 leucas lato in Oceanum pracipitatur. Chr. D'Acugna Relatio de flumine Amaz. in Act. Erud. Aug. 1683.

CHAP. VI.

The great Variety and Quantity of all Things upon, and in the Terraqueous Globe, provided for the Ufes of the World.

HE laft Remark I fhall make about the Ter

Traqueous Globe in general is, the great Variety of Kinds, or Tribes, as well as prodgious Number of Individuals of each various Tribe, there is of all

E 3

Crea