106 MicrROGRAPHIA. 
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and belt pieces of Lignum foffile he had teen; Having (I fay) taken a 
{mall piece of this Wood, and examin’d it, I found it to burn inthe open 
Air alnioft like other Wood, and infteed of a refinous fmoak or fume, 
it yielded a very bituminous one, finelling much of that kind of fent: But 
that which I chiefly rook notice of, was, that cutting off a {mall piece of 
it, about the bignefs of my Thumb, and charring it in a Crucible with 
Sand, after the manner I above prefcrib’d, I found it infinitely to abound 
with the fmnaller fort of pores, fo extreme thick, and fo regularly perfo- 
rating the fubftance of it long-ways, that breaking it off a-crofs, I found 
it'to look very like an Honey-comb; but as for any of the fecond, or 
bipeet kind of pores, Icould not find that it had any 5 fo that it feems, 
atever were the caufe of its production, it was not without thofe 
fiiall kind of pores which we have onely hitherto found in Vegetable bo- 
dies tand comparing them with the pores which I have found in the Charé 
coals that I by thismeans made of feveral other kinds of Wood, I find it 
tefemble none fo much as thofe of Firr, to which it is not much unlike in 
praitalfo, and feveral other proprieties. 
~* And therefore,what ever is by fome, who have written of it,and parti 
ciilatly by Francifto stelluto,who wrotea Treatife in Ztalvan of that Sub- 
_jettywhich was Printed at Rome, 1637. affirm’d that it is a'certain kind of 
| Clay or Earth, which in tract of time is turn’d into Wood,[ rather fufped 
the quite contrary, that it was at firft certain great Trees of Fir or Pine, 
which by fome Earthquake, or other cafualty, came to be buried under 
the Earth,and Was there,after a long time’s refidence(according to the fe+ 
veral natures of the encompafling adjacent parts)either rotted and turn‘d 
into a kind of Clay, or petrify'd and turn’d intoa kind of Stone, or elfe 
had its pores fill'd with certain Mineral juices,which being ftayd in them, 
and in tra of tor pete appear’d, upon cleaving out, like fmall 
Metaline Wites, or elf from fome flames or {corching forms that are the 
occafion oftentimes,and ufually accompanyBarthquakes,might be blafted 
and turn‘d into Coal, or elfe from certain febterraneons fires which are ~ 
d by that Authour to abound much about thofé parts (namely, in 
a Province of italy, call'd Umbria, now the Dutchie of Spoleto, in the 
Territory of Todi,anciently call'd Tedor;and between the two Villages of 
Collefecco and Rofaronot far diftant from the high-way leading to Rome, 
eae it is found in greater quantity then elfewhere)areby reafon oftheir 
ing ¢ncompaffed with Earth, and fo kept clofe from the diflolving Air, 
charr'd and cotiverted into Coal: It would be too longa work to de- 
feribe the feveral kinds of pores which I met withall)and by this means 
diftovered in fevetal other Vegetable bodiess noris it my prefenrdefign 
to expatiate upon Inftances af the fame kind, but ratherto give a Spe- 
cimen of as many kinds as I have had opportunity as yet of obferving; re 
ferving the profecution and or pe ge ae rer pesca more fit op- 
portunity 5 and in profecution of this > Tthall hereadd: 
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