47G A VOYAGE TO Book VL 



the appearance in the world that ¡t woukl turn to 

 very good account. 1 myself, when I was at that 

 villaiie, saw some of these sparks in their natural 

 state ; and both their colour and hardness sufficiently 

 shewed th.at they were of a very fine sort. 



Another kind of stone is found in great plenty all 

 over this country. It is of a ih^.e green, and harder 

 than alabaster, though not pellucid : but no more 

 valued than any of the former ; except that a few 

 toys or utensils are made of it. 



kíEiiE are also some mines of sulphur, and some 

 parts afford vitriol ; but no farther known than as 

 nature has placed them in view; not only the im- 

 provement of them being entirely neglected, but 

 scarcely any notice taken of those which lie on 

 the surface of the ground; either because the in- 

 habitants stand in no need of those minerals, or 

 from their strong aversion to any thing that re- 

 «|uires labour. 



North of Quito, betwixt two plantations, at the 

 foot of mount Anlagua, one of which bears the 

 same name, and the other that of Courogal, runs a 

 Tery large river, which petrifies any wood, leaves, 

 &c. thrown into it. I have had whole branches 

 thus petrified ; and the porosity of the stem, the 

 fibres of the rind, even the smallest veins of the 

 leaves, and the meander of its fibrille, equally dis- 

 cernible as when fresh cut from the tree. 1 have also 

 had large pieces of timber petrified, which at first 

 sight appeared to be wood thoroughly dried; no 

 visible alteration having been made in them, except 

 in colour. 



WjTH all these appearances, I cannot think that 

 the wood, leaves, and the like, which are put into the 

 river, are really turned into stone of such a hardness 

 as that I experienced : but as the appearance is unde- 

 niable, I shall offer an explanation of this supposed 

 transmutation. i? 



