Having, in the preceding chapter, taken a general view of the constitution of those great classes into which the creatures of this Globe may be divided, we come now to trace the relation in which these classes stand to one another; or to examine what has been termed the Polity of Nature.

When we attentively consider the present condition of the inorganic kingdom, it will appear obvious, that the continuance of its existence and arrangement does not depend on the presence of organized beings. Independent of its vegetable covering, of the animals by which it is peopled, and of man himself, this globe could still revolve in its orbit, and act its part in the solar system, though naked, silent and lifeless. Changes would, indeed, take place on its surface, in consequence of the laws of chemistry and mechanics, and independent of the aid of living bodies. The prominent parts would be worn down; the hollows would be filled up ; and its outline would assume an inclination every where at right angles with the direction of gravity. These changes have, in part, been accomplished; and have impressed on the different strata the peculiar characters of their structure and superposition.

The organized kingdom, on the other hand, could not exist alone. The beings of which it is composed may be considered as the parasites of this plahet, and depend on its present movements for the exercise of their functions.