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j^rocured from a certain fea captain, a piece of one, about a foot long, 

 and ten inches in diameter. The bark of this wood was found, but 

 the wood itfelf fo decayed, tiiat it crumbled into powder under the 

 finders, excepting only a very fniall part. The capillary or hairy 

 parts which run length wife on the infide of the bark, were tolerably 

 found, but they fcparated from each other, as eafily as if they had 

 never been firmly united, which inade me fufpe6l, that, if there ever 

 had been any other parts to connedl them, they were decayed. 



I j)erceived that thefe capillary or hairy parts, grew out of 

 the bark, and that many of them were divided into two ; and I alfo 

 perceived in each of thefe capillaments many veOels. Among thefe 

 capillary parts were otliers, fome firm and folid, others in the na- 

 ture of velVels, but the greater part of them much decayed. 



Thefe capillary parts, were covered by the external folid bark, 

 which bark .was, in fome few places, thicker than in others, but, at 

 the knots or joints, the bark was remarkably thick and folid. 



This bark, cut tranfverfely, I examined by the microfcope, and 

 found it chiefly to confill of roundifli threads, about the tliicknefs of 

 an hair, and thefe again compofed of oblong filaments, hollowed on 

 tlie infides. Many of thefe latter did not take a firaight, perpendi- 

 cular courfe, but turned inwards towards the body of the tree. 

 Farther, I obferved, intermixed among them, a kind of fubfiance, 

 confiding of roundifli globules, conne6led in a fort of regular 

 order. Thefe parts, compofing the external fubftance of the 

 tree, were fo clofely united together, that it might be thought the 

 tree had not any bark on it. From all thefe obfervatioi-ks, I was led 

 to conclude, that this tree receives its growth and increafe from the 

 bark alone. And 1 perceived certain roundifh parts, which feem^ 

 ed to iffue in a right line from the bark inwards, as if they were de- 

 figned for no other ufe, than to convey the nutritive juices in that 

 diredlion. 



