is "Principles of Geology," 7th edition,
p. 35) speaks with approval of the early Italian geologists. Of Vallisneri
he says, "I return with pleasure to the geologists of Italy who preceded,
as has been already shown, the naturalists of other countries in their
investigations into the ancient history of the earth, and who still
maintained a decided pre-eminence. They refuted and ridiculed the
physico-theological systems of Burnet, Whiston, and Woodward; while
Vallisneri, in his comments on the Woodwardian theory, remarked how much
the interests of religion, as well as of those of sound philosophy, had
suffered by perpetually mixing up the sacred writings with questions of
physical science." Again, he quotes the Carmelite friar Generelli, who,
illustrating Moro before the Academy of Cremona in 1749, strongly opposed
those who would introduce the supernatural into the domain of nature. "I
hold in utter abomination, most learned Academicians! those systems which
are built with their foundations in the air, and cannot be propped up
without a miracle, and I undertake, with the assistance of Moro, to explain
to you how these marine monsters were transported into the mountains by
natural causes."

Sir Charles Lyell notices with exemplary impartiality the spirit of
intolerance on both sides. How in France, Buffon, on the one hand, was
influenced by the theological faculty of the Sorbonne to recant his theory
of the earth, and how Voltaire, on the other, allowed his prejudices to get
the better, if not of his judgment, certainly of his expression of it.
Thinking that fossil remains of shells, &c., were evidence in favour of
orthodox views, Voltaire, Sir Charles Lyell (Principles, p. 56) tells us,
"endeavoured to inculcate scepticism as to the real nature of such shells,
and to recall from contempt the exploded dogma of the sixteenth century,
that they were sports of nature. He also pretended that vegetable
impressions were not those of real plants." ... "He would sometimes, in
defiance of all consistency, shift his ground when addressing the vulgar;
and, admitting the true nature of the shells collected in the Alps and
other places, pretend that they were Eastern species, which had fallen from
the hats of pilgrims coming from Syria. The numerous essays written by him
on geological subjects were all calculated to strengthen prejudices, partly
because he was ignorant of the real state of the science, and partly from
his bad faith."