"Although the entire mass of our globe be probably formed by an immense heap of elementary, vitrifiable, and even actually vitrified earth, as the illustrious Buffon believes, we do not find upon its surface but a very small quantity of this earth, unaltered, and in its primary state. Perhaps even none of it exists in that state: for, as we have observed, the common vitrifiable stones, which are chiefly formed of it, are very far from the degree of purity of primary elementary earth; and even perfect diamonds, which seem of all these stones to approach the nearest to this purity, seem to have been elaborated by the waters, if we can judge from their regularly crystallized form."