done. In consequence of this, there is scarce a strait or an harbour, scarce a rock or a quicksand, scarce an inflexion of the shore, or the jutting of a promontory, that has not been minutely described. But as these present very little entertainment to the imagination, or delight to any but those whose pursuits are lucrative, they need not be dwelt upon here. While the merchant and the mariner are solicitous in describing currents and soundings, the naturalist is employed in observing worders, though not so beneficial; yet to him of a much more important nature. The saltness of the sea seems to be the foremost.

Aristotle supposed that the sun raised dry saline exhalations from the earth, and deposited them upon the sea; hence the saltness of the sea, say his followers, and hence also the sea is more salt at the top than at the bottom. For many ages, this solution was deemed sufficient; but experience has at length proved its fallacy; for sea salt is never raised by the power of the sun, all the vapours that are exhaled by it being perfectly fresh, and sea water is not salter at top than at bottom. Capt. Ellis let down a sea-guage in latitude twenty-five degrees, thirteen minutes north, and longitude twenty-five degrees, twelve minutes west, to take the degrees of temperature and saltness at different depths. It descended one mile and eleven fathoms fle found the sea salter and colder in proportion to its depth till the guage had decended 3,00 feet,` when the mercury in the thermometer came up at 53; but the water never grew colder, though he let down the guage 2446 feet lower. At the surface the thermometer stood at 84. Whether the saltnes saltered after the depth of 3900 feet the captain has not said.

The sea contains the greatest quantity of salt in the torrid zone; as we advance towards the poles it diminishes till it is almost lost. Under the line it has been found to contain a seventh part of solid contents consisting chiefly of sea salt. In the Mediterranean one twenty seventh part. At Carlscroon in Sweeden one thirtieth part, and on the coast of Greenland much less. This deficiency of salt probably contributes much towards the prodigious quantities of ice which are met with in the polar regions; for salt water requires a much greater degree of cold to freeze it than fresh. The ancients thought that the sea never froze, and even the moderns have supposed that sea ice is originally formed in the mouths of rivers, or in the freshes which are found in their neighbourhood. Buffon made the great quantities of ice which abound in the high southern latitudes, an argument for the existence of a continent in those regions. But it is now well known that great quantities of ice are formed at a considerable distance from land.

The great Mr. Boyle supposed that the saltness of the sea was owing to two causes; first, the rocks or masses of salt at its bottom; secondly, that the rains, and rivers, and other waters dissolve salt in their passage through many parts of the earth, and at last convey it to the sea.

According to this hypothesis the sea is continually increasing in saltness, and must be so till it be entirely saturated; for the rocks of salt below continue to dissolve, and the rivers, &c. continue to bring their stores of salt. This must for ever remain in the sea, for salt does not rise by evaporation; nothing but fresh water is exhaled by the sun.

Dr. Halley speculates upon this ground so far as to lay down a method of finding out the age of the world by the saltness of the waters of the

sea.

"For if it be observed (says he) what quantity of salt is contained in a certain weight of water, taken up from the Caspian Sea, for example, and, after some centuries, what greater quantity of salt is contained in the same weight of water, taken from the same place, we inay conclude, that in proportion as the saltness has encreased in a certain time, so much 11 must have encreased before that time; and we may thus, by the rule of proportion, make an estimate of the whole time wherein the water would acquire the degree it should then be possessed of."

Dr. Goldsmith remarks on this, That an experiment begun in this century, and which is not to be completed till several centuries hence, is a little mortifying to modern curiosity: and he also doubts if the inhabitants round the Caspian Sea, will be inclined to undertake the enquiry. He might have urged a much stronger objection against this theory, namely, that it is an unfounded one, notwithstanding the great names which support it.

If the rivers convey saltness to the sea, it is very surprising that there should be no discoverable saltness in the rivers themselves. Again, every great body of water must be salt that receives large rivers, if the rivers convey saltness to the ocean. But this is not the case, for the Palus Meotis, and the great lakes in America, are fresh. Also, if the sea receive any of its saltness from the rivers, why is it not equally salt every where? But this we know is not the case, it being much salter at the equator than near the poles.

As for the subterraneous mines of salt which are supposed to abound in the bottom of the sea, though it be granted there are some such, yet if the sea were constantly dissolving salt from them, it would soon become saturated, as none of its salts can ever possibly escape it by any method that we are are yet acquainted with. And if the sea were to become saturated, neither fishes nor vegetables could live in it. It is impossible, indeed, to suppose that the waters of the ocean were at any time fresh since the creation of sea fishes and sea plants: for these will not live in water that is saturated with salt, so neither will they live in water that is fresh. We therefore conclude that the Deity created the waters of the sea of a saline quality, and that they have retained it in nearly the same degree in all ages.

DISSERTATION ON DREAMS.

Continued from p. 95.

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THE HE action of the soul upon the body has been supposed by others to be the cause of dreams. This thought does not strike at first view with the same absurdity as the foregoing one. The soul is certainly an active powerful agent, as we know by daily experience. How far its powers extend we do not yet, perhaps, fully know. But this thought has great, if not insuperable difficulties. How can the soul act with such power, and yet not be conscious that these operations are her own? We often dream of many other persons, and sometimes such persons as we have never seen before; we hear them, see them, converse with them, handle them; we receive various impressions from them, or communicate impressions to them. There is not an emotion of the mind but what we can receive and communicate, nor a bodily action but we at times perform, or see performed by others in dreams. We have fufferings as acute and joys as high in our dreams as in our waking hours. Now can the soul be both agent and patient in the same action? Can she produce all these images, and not be sensible that it is her own work? Can she thus act and be acted upon, and not be conscious that only herself is the cause of the whole? There is nothing analogous to this in our waking hours. Nor can we have recourse to any known principle of the human mind, to give a shadow of support to the idea that the soul's action upon the body is the cause of dreams.

If neither the action of the body upon the soul, nor the action of the soul upon the body will account for the cause of dreams, there remains but one cause more that we can imagine, and that is, the action of some other spirit upon the soul while we are asleep. To this many objections have been made. But let it be considered that on all other grounds dreaming seems impossible; on this ground it is possible: and as the fact is certain, that we often do dream, why should we reject the only possible solution of the phenomenon because it has some difficulties attending it? That there are spiritual agents existing, seems highly reasonable, in the nature of things, and that they are of various orders, capacities, and moral attainments; but revelation sets this fact in a clear light, and assures us that there are thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, both of good and evil angels. We know indeed but little of their nature, powers, and faculties; yet it seems reasonable to suppose them to be as various and diversified as those of men, among whom we meet with the serious and the comical, the lively and the phlegmatic, the angry and the placid, the envious and the benevolent. And why may not the natural disposition of spirits, or their acquired habits, give a bias to their actions as well as to those of men? Their employments or amusements admit doubtless of vast variety.

It is said, if our dreams are owing at all to the influence of other spirts, would they not be more coherent and rational than they usually are? It

may be answered, that the manner and way of action of different spirits is to us unknown, and whether they mean seriously to employ, or only to divert and amuse themselves in our dreams, we do not determine, but very probably often the latter. Certain it is, that many men, not otherwise deficient in understanding, do frequently amuse themselves in things as trivial. And after all, the incoherence and irrationality of many dreams may be owing to the indisposition of the organ rather than to any imperfection of the agent by which they are caused.

But is it reasonable to believe, that the Creator has given power to any spirit to exercise such an agency over the minds of men, as this solution of the cause of dreaming admits of? Does it comport with his wisdom and goodness so to do? It may be replied, that no agency is contended for more than what is exercised by one man upon another when both are awake. We give to and receive ideas from each other continually : we can excite all sorts of feelings in each other's minds, sorrowful and joyous, disgustful and affectionate, horrible and pleasing, virtuous and vicious; and this only by words, or even by silent actions. Kindred minds particularly have a great ascendancy over each other; yet who ever thought of arraigning the wisdom and goodness of Deity in this.

It is granted, that if any man watch his mind and guard his thoughts with a virtuous strictness, that he will be much less liable to the influence of another; unless his understanding be convinced that he ought to receive it, and his will on that ground submit to it. Why may it not be natural and moral

as consistent to suppose the minds of men, from dispositions, may be, in a peculiar manner, accessible to some spirit of similar dispositions? This implies no further power in spirits, either good or bad, than what we ourselves give them from our own habits. A person whose habits of life are virtuous, does not in his dreams plunge into a series of crimes; nor are the vicious reformed when dreaming; the choleric man finds himself offended by slight provocations as well in his dreams as in his ordinary intercourse with the world, and a mild temper continues generally pacific in sleep.

Again, some have objected to this hypothesis as giving ground to superstition; but it may be retorted that it is more reasonable to ascribe the cause of dreams to spiritual agency than to chance, which is a meer name that describes nothing, or to the power of matter which is a nonentity.,

It has been objected also that this scheme is not philosophical; but it may be remarked that those who ascribe to chance and matter the phenomenon of dreams, ought not to reprove others for unphilosophical ideas. But why not philosophical? Is nothing to be honoured with the name of philosophy but what is perfectly demonstrable? If so, we must reduce even the philosophy of the present day into a very narrow compass indeed.

The evidence of spiritual agency in dreams, which perhaps will strike with most force, is to be found in the Scriptures. Joseph was divinely admonished in a dream to flee with the child Jesus into Egypt, and by the same agency in a dream, was directed to come back again. Angels VOL.IV.

S

are mentioned as the agents in many dreams, as of Jacob in the vision of the ladder, Gen. xxvii, 10-15. and of the ring-straked and spotted cattle, Gen. xxxi. 10-12. Daniel's dreams also where explained by angels, chap. vii. 1, 16, 23. viii. 1, 13, 16. And from the whole account of them it seems they were caused by the agency of angels.

It is an ancient sentiment that dreams proceed from spiritual agency. Homer says,

Όναρ εκ Διάμεσιν,

Dreams are from Jupiter.

The sacred Scriptures speak of them as coming from God immediately, or mediately by the agency of angels and spirits through his permission: and the worse sort of dreams is expressly attributed to the same cause as well as the better. Thus Job complains, "When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions." If therefore it be granted that some spiritual agents are the cause of some dreams, is it not most probable that other spiritual agents are the cause of others? And if one sufficient cause is investigated, why should we not rest contented, why look out for others? But there are some dreams recorded in Scripture which we should do injustice to the present subject not to mention. Judges, vii. Gideon, before he smote the Midianites and Amalekites, heard a soldier in the enemy's camp tell a dream: his companion give an interpretation to it thus: "There was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, Behold I have dreamed a dream, and lo a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host." Now though there is no particular agency mentioned concerning this terrifying emblematic dream, yet it is evident that it was through the agency of spiritual power, and so Gideon believed, and was greatly strengthened by it and its interpretation : notwithstanding it was only the dream of an heathen soldier, interpreted by his comrade.

In Acts, xvi. we find Paul and his companions preaching the gospel in several provinces of the lesser Asia, till they came to Troas, a seaport of Mysia, near to ancient Troy. Here he had a vision in the night. "There stood a man of Macedonia, and besought him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately," says the historian, we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them." Modern philosophy would laugh at Paul and his companions for being determined in their journey by a dream: but Paul had more piety, and perhaps as much philosophy as the wise men of the present day, who ascribe dreams to chance, or to the power of dead matter.

In the history which Matthew gives of our Lord's death, he says, "When Pilate was set down on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have