Professor G. Forchhammer on the Downs of Denmark, 76 



quantity of sand which the upper peat-beds contain. It is 

 clear that after the series of downs had approached so near 

 to the lake in which the peat was being formed, that the sand 

 was blown into it, no continued formation of peat could longer 

 take place, because every violent storm must have interrupted 

 the vegetation by the sand it brought along with it. The sea 

 then continues to cut away the sand from beneath the peat, 

 and the bed of peat, deprived of its support, falls down in large 

 masses, covers the acclivity and the beach itself, until, being 

 entirely destroyed by the waves, it is carried away. But this 

 action goes on slowly, and as a whole there is but little dimi- 

 nution of the coast to be remarked. The bed is in general 

 very distinctly stratified, and the planes of stratification are 

 indicated by Junci ; I found this particularly the case with the 

 lowest portion of the bed. Occasionally true charcoal is found 

 in the peat, a circumstance which is particularly distinct in 

 the moor-peat of Seeland, and is peculiar to our peat-moors 

 in general, where these are more or less formed of wood. 

 Thus stems entirely carbonized on the surface are frequent in 

 the Seeland moors ; and when we perceive the quantity of 

 true charcoal in these peat-moors, we are led to believe that 

 forest conflagrations must have frequently raged in these dis- 

 tricts. This appears undoubtedly to have been the case, but 

 not to the extent which the abundance of charcoal would in- 

 duce us to imagine. Charcoal is, as is well known, one of the 

 most indestructible substances, and after the lapse of centuries, 

 the place can be discovered where a heap of charcoal has for- 

 merly stood, by the black colour of the soil, and by the frag- 

 ments scattered about, and which subsequent continued cul- 

 tivation could not remove. All the eharcoal, therefore, which 

 has been formed during the long continuance of the growth of 

 the peat must be preserved, while a large portion of the other 

 vegetable matter has disappeared. It is, however, compre- 

 hensible likewise, that in those days frequent and extensive 

 conflagrations must have taken place, just as at present, in 

 North America ; to which country the former character of 

 Denmark seems to have borne a great resemblance. We have 

 only to think of the great forest-fire which occurred in the 

 year 1825 on the banks of the Mii'amichi, and which destroyed 



