foundation, have been formed by the great Architect at corresponding angles, leaving, as it were, the dentelli of the ftrata fufpended round the vallies; for, according to all appearance, it may be reafonably concluded, after the most diligent obfervation, that no vef tige, or clear proof remains, in our days, of primitive hills, or that may with propriety be called fo. Those which we know are manifeftly produced either by volcanos, which have burnt in almost every region of our globe; or by the fea, which in paft ages covered it altogether, or alternatively; or by the fea and volcanos at the fame time. And it appears not improbable, that the most ancient protuberances of our globe were much more vaft and regular, though quite different from the ftructure of those we now fee.

Concerning the other ideas of Bourguet, who, after having eftablished obfervations by no means exact, imagined, by way of corollaries, the past state of the earth, and found the precife time of the deluge, (as if there had been but one) and then pretended to forefee the fubfequent alterations and tranf formations that are to happen in it, I think it needless to take any further notice. Systems and theories resemble hitherto, and are like to resemble in time coming, (till a fufficient number of good ob

fervations are made) unripe fruit, which spoils in a fhort time. That of Bourguet feems to have found more partifans than it deferved, and feveral of them have gained themselves no honour by adopting it. It was fufficient, indeed, to stay in their chambers, and theorife at their eafe on good geogra phical maps concerning the truth of the propofition that the fides of the large vallies, as well as thofe of the fhores, of the fea, correfpond with one another; and I, who have taken the trouble to examine many of them, am perfuaded, that neither the fides of the fea fhores, nor thofe of the large vallies, conftantly correfpond with one another.

The ftrata of the islands of Cherfo and Ofero are very regularly form. ed. They pafs from one hill to another with a kind of undulation, which probably has been, nay doubtless has been, the work of a vast ocean. The island is too old, and has undergone too great a number of changes, as well as the reft of the globe, for us to form any certain judgment concerning. its fuperfices. It is certain, however, that no veftige now remains of the ancient fuperficies, as even the order of the organization is altered in the inland parts, as well as on the fea coaft. The rain waters, the fubterraneous cavities, the abforptions, and fometimes more fubitaneous agents, have

made

made great ruins. The waves wash away and destroy fome of the littoral hills; and hence the obfervation of the ftrata that remain expofed to the eye on the exterior part of the island, are enough to embarrass any hafty fabricator of fyftems. Some of them are inclined towards the fea, and, from root to root of the hills, defcribe arches bending outwards: but this direction is not conftant. Here and there, contiguous to the arches being outwards, other arches are feen, which bend, in a contrary fenfe, inwards, manifeftly oppofing themselves to the waves with a kind of pride. The explanation of this fact is, how ever, not difficult, though it might feem contradictory. The littoral hills in thofe parts, particularly thofe of Ofero, are formed of marble ftrata, the one difpofed above the other in fuch a manner, as refembles, in large, the structure of the Bezoar ftone; but they are not fo difpofed in the right line, that the fea waters can do equal damage to each in difcompofing the roots, and confequently in deftroying the fides and tops. Hence the ftrata of thofe hills that were more expofed to the force of the waves, muft have been more easily, and in a fhorter fpace of time, corrod ed, difconnected, and overturned beyond their common centre, which is the perpendicular let fall from the top of the hill where the inclination towards the fea ends, and the declivity towards the internal part of the island begins. In the courfe of ages, thefe hills, the roots and interior parts whereof were inclined towards the deftroying fea, are reduced to lefs than the half, and therefore now appear

outwardly inclined towards the land. And those hills that in our days are thus half worn away, will, in the courfe of years, be quite deftroyed; their roots will become quick-fands; and the fea, continuing its encroachments, and daily gaining on the dry land, will once more by degrees fwallow up that tract of country, which, perhaps, it has by degrees abandoned and reinundated already, who, knows how often. This kind of prophecy is not founded on ideal chimeras, but on vifible facts, which correspond together, and reciprocally enforce one another, from one end of the earth to the other.

Account of the Scion of the Symphyfis of the Pubes, performed at Paris, by M. Sigault, October 2, 1777.

So early as the time of Hippo

erates it was obferved, that in pregant women the bones of the pelvis gradually feparate from each other, by a dilatation of the fubftance which connects them; but though the juftness of this remark has been repeatedly admit ted by anatomical writers, it has not till lately been rendered fub fervient to any useful purpose in the practice of the obstetrical art. The perfon entitled to the honour of this invention is M. Sigault, a French phyfician, who, in 1768, propofed the fection of the fymphyfis of the pubes as a fubftitute for the Cæfarean operation, fo often productive of the moft fatal confequences; and the utility of this practice was exemplified laft year in the cafe of Mrs. Souchot,

on

on whom he made the experiment, in conjunction with M. Le Roy. After informing our readers that Mrs. Souchot was a deformed woman, of a fmall ftature, with a narrow pelvis, we fhall prefent them with the account of the operation.

I obferved that the child prefented by its feet, that the orifice of the uterus was very much dilated, and that the diameter, from the anterior to the posterior part of the pelvis, did not exceed two inches and a half. I told M. Sigault, that, as the diameter of a child's head at its birth is ufually at least three inches and a quarter, it would be impoffible for it to be delivered at an aperture of only two inches and a half; that confequently fhe muft fubmit to the Cæfarean operation, or that which we intended to fubftitute for it, to which laft fhe confented.

Every thing being got ready, we folded the mattrafs three times, and placed her on it. We began by feeling for the middle part of the cartilage of the fymphyfes, which we readily difcovered by the finger. I advifed M. Sigault to begin the fection of the fuperior part of the fymphyfes, but not above the pyramidal muscles, and to do it by two incifions. First, to divide the integuments as far as the middle of the pubes, while I held the lower part downwards, and then to begin the section of the cartilage. Secondly, to finish the incifion of the integuments, without any fear of hæmorrhage obftructing him in the fection of the cartilage. M. Sigault had nothing but a common bistory to perform this operation with. The thighs being opened and raised, he performed it in the manner mentioned. The VOL. XXI.

moment the feparation was completed, the pubes parted, as if the ftring of a bow had been divided, and receded to each fide under the integuments. I immediately began to extract the child after M. Sigault had broke the membrane, and brought the feet as far as the os externum. I first made myself fure of the extent of the feparation which we had gained by the fection, in order to judge of a proper method to extract the head. I laid my four knuckles in the fpace procured by the fection, which measured, two inches and a half, an extent fomewhat more than that which I had gained upon the body of Mrs. Braffeur, which gave me pleafure. The child's heels were turned to the right fide, and I extracted the body by gentle efforts, which I directed towards the lateral parts entirely, and not to the fpine. I difengaged the left arm, and then the right; the head being ftill above the brim of the pelvis, I applied my hand to the face, which correfponded with the fymphyfes of the left ilium : I opened her thighs as far as I could, and fixed the largeft portion of the right parietal in the feparation. The integuments projected; I made the left parietal anfwer to the right lateral fide of the hollow of the facrum; afterwards, upon raifing the body of the child, I drew out the left lateral fide of the head, while at the fame time, with the right hand applied to the nafal foffa, I brought the chin downwards. By thefe united efforts I overcame the greatest resistance at the brim of the pelvis. When it had now gained the hollow of the facrum, I brought the occiput between the feparation, and difengaged the chin at the inferior patt

of

of the os externum, by raifing the child's body; the reft of the body followed prefently, and the patient was delivered, to her great joy, of a living fon. The thighs being lowered, the Teparation appeared not to exceed eight lines. I immediately extracted the placenta, because the uterus began to contract itfelf exceedingly.

During this operation, which was neither very painful nor tedious, the woman loft very little blood, and the husband being called in, could fcarce give credit to fo fortunate and fpeedy a delivery. We applied fome lint to the wound, and removed the patient on the mattrafs, in order to make her bed. Upon the leaft opening of her thighs fhe felt very acute pains in the left pofterior fide of the loins and pelvis. We applied a napkin, by way of bandage, to keep the pelvis in a juft pofition, to which we faftened two ribbons behind, one on the right, the other on the left, and brought them under the thighs, in order to tie them before. When put to bed, we found her pulfe was not affected, and, enraptured at becoming a mother, fhe requested us to give her the child,

in order to fuckle it.

Mrs. Braffeur, whofe name is mentioned in this narrative, was a perfon on whofe body M. Le Roy made trial of the operation, immediately after fhe had expired from the injurious treatment of a woman who attempted to deliver her.

M. Le Roy informs us, that he has performed the fection of the pubes upon dead fubjects, both male and female. In the former he obferved a feparation of between two and three lines fpace, and in

I

ing a fact, to which you may give that degree of faith which you think it merits. You have often read, in ancient naturalifts, of wonderful things done by the Remora, or Echeneis, and not without fome farprife will have learnt Pliny's ftory, who, after having told us, on the faith of another, how Anthony was retarded on his voyage by means of this fish, afferts pofitively, that a fhip with Caligula on board, and four hundred rowers, was actually ftopt by one of thofe fifhes, while the reft of the fleet went on at a great rate. When I read this, I contented myself to fhrug up my shoulders, without perplexing my brain to find out by what natural principle, or matter of fact, fuch an opinion could become fo generally received, that a man of fenfe, as Pliny certainly was, fhould affirm it in pofitive

Will finish this letter by relat

terms.