After some 25 years of work, his Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land upon the Globe was read to meetings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in two parts, the first by his friend Joseph Black on 7 March 1785, and the second by himself on 4 April 1785.
Despois duns 25 anos de traballo, a súa Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land upon the Globe leuse, en dúas partes, nas reunións da Real Sociedade de Edimburgo, a primeira por Joseph Black, íntimo amigo, o 7 de marzo de 1785, e a segunda por el mesmo o 4 de abril de 1785.