for had they existed, palaeozoic and secondary formations would in all probability have been accumulated from sediment derived from their wear and tear; and would have been at least partially upheaved by the oscillations of level, which must have intervened during these enormously long periods. If, then, we may infer anything from these facts, we may infer that, where our oceans now extend, oceans have extended from the remotest period of which we have any record;
Hemendik agian inferi genezake, aldi paleoziko eta sekundarioan, egun gure ozeanoak hedatzen diren lekuan, ez kontinenterik ez irla kontinentalik ez zela; izan ere, izan balira, haien higadura eta suntsipenetik etorririko sedimentuak formazio paleozoiko eta sekundarioa eratuz metatu ziratekeen ia ziur; eta hauek, aldez bederen, gora egin zuketen aldi izugarriro luze hauetan gertatu behar izan ziren sestra-gorabeheren eraginez.