sses enormes de pierres calcaires, qui forment la cote qui
domine le village de Champigny, a quatre lieues de Paris, au dela de
Saint-maur; car s'il nous faut citer un exemple frappant de cette
singularite, et a portee d'etre vue des naturalistes qui sont dans la
capitale, je ne puis mieux faire que de citer cette cote, une des plus
curieuses de la France, et que je me propose de fair connoitre en detail
dans la troisieme partie de la mineralogie de la France. On verra,
dis-je, dans cette bonne pierre a chaux, et une de plus pure des
environs de Paris, de tres-abondantes cristallisations de quartz
transparent, et quelque fois de belle eau, que les ouvriers sont forces
de separer de la partie calcaire, a laquelle elles adherent fortement.
Mais c'est trop nous arreter a combattre une opinion qui doit son
origine aux premieres idees qu'ont eues les premiers observateurs en
mineralogie, qui se detruira d'elle meme comme tant d'autres dont il
nous reste a peine le souvenir."

We find here an accurate naturalist, and a diligent observer, who, in
conformity with what my sentiments are upon the subject, thinks it
impossible that the crystallizations in close cavities, and concretions
of different solid substances within each other, which so frequently
occur in the mineral regions, could have been produced, by means of
solution and crystallization, from a fluid vehicle. But what has he
now substituted in place of this solution, in order to explain
appearances?--a mere supposition, viz. that nature may have the power
of converting water, in those secret places, into some other thing; or
rather that the substance of water is here converted into every other
thing; for, though he has only mentioned quartz and calcareous spar,
what mineral substance is there that may not be found in those close
cavities? They are actually almost all, not even excepting gold; for,
small grains of gold are inclosed within the cavities of a porous stone,
in the Siberian mine. Now, for what purpose should nature, (to the power
of which we are not to set a limit) have such an object in view as
to convert water into every thing, unless it were to confound human
understanding? For, so far as human experience has been as yet able to
reach, there would appear to be certain elementary substances; and among
these is water, or the principles of that fluid[43]. But because water
is so generally found in bodies, and so necessarily in most of the
operations of this