nETINASPHALT. 115 



times so rich in iron as to constitute the compact brown 

 oxide of iron (dichter brown eisenstein of Werner.) litluw 

 tliis stratum lies a bed of lignite, from three and a lialf to 

 four feet in thickness. This bed contains nearly all the va- 

 rieties of lignite, such as jet, brittle lignite, Iiituminous wood, 

 and brown lignite, penetrated throughout U\ pvrites. The 

 junction of this stratum with the above is a ntixture of lig- 

 nite and sand, no abrupt separations being pereepiiblc. It 

 is in this stratum that the Retinasphalt and amber are found ; 

 the latter invariably on the very top of the stratum of the 

 lignite; sometimes as much as half a foot above this bed in 

 the sand. The Retinasphalt occurs intermixed with wood 

 and pyrites. This being invarial)ly the case, woulil induce 

 the belief that they weie originally the same vegetable i^um 

 or resin, and that the ditVerence which now exists between 

 them is owing to their mineralogical position. 



2 



