PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 233 



ground, or from a dry fandy foil ; alfo fuch 

 liiofs as is much mixed with pieces of rotten 

 wood, roots, mud, gravel, or fand, or which 

 confuming quickly, leaves behind a great 

 many impurities mixed with its aflies, is 

 bad. 



Peats differ confiderably, according to 

 the pains beftowed in making them. Such 

 as are perfedlly freed from all hetrogeneous 

 matter, well knead and wrought, are the 

 beft of all. Upon which account, peats, 

 made in the province of Holland^ where no 

 labour is fpared in the working them, are 

 preferable to all others ; tho', in other places, 

 the fubftance may be equally good. A 

 Dutch peat fix inches long and three or four 

 thick, will Weigh a pound ; a peat made at 

 Nimiguen^ of the fame dimenfions, will not 

 weigh above half a pound, often lefs. It is 

 a general obfervation, that all peats made of 

 mofs-mud, and well knead, are confiderably 

 heavier than fuch as are only cut out of the 

 mofs. 



Peats that are of a dark colour, and folid, 

 that continue longeft in the fire without con- 

 fuming, that have a good cinder, and fall into 

 white a(hes, are mofl efleemed : on the 

 Vol. II. G g contrary, 



