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Foreign Literature and Science. 399 
the species can be easily recognized by their position, their 
bark, the form of their fruits, seeds, and capsules. In the 
argillaceous soils, the trees are much better preserved, espe- 
cially where the ground is moist, and it is in these cases that 
they are often found petrified. It is ‘singular that trees 
which lie a side of each other are not equally well pre- 
served; and there are some petrified at one extremity and 
still tender at the other. The oaks which are not petrified, 
are susceptible of being split into staves, and the country peo- 
ple convert them into axle trees, and cabinet makers em- 
ploy them on account of their hardness. re remarkable fact 
is, that these oaks are found in a country where none at 
present grow, and which has been cleared from time imme- 
morial. It would be very interesting to discover the epoch 
in which these trees were buried, and by what events they 
were overthrown and buried. Perhaps it was by the same 
force that transported so many blocks of granite in the north | 
of Russia—and perhaps at the same time in which the en- 
tire race of the mammoth was annihilated, a which 
might have had their abode in these sombre for The 
tops of the trees are inclined either towards the seadc east or 
south west, and consequently the — which destroyed 
“them must have come from north to so 
These fossil trees are found in the aisle of northern Rus- 
sia, not only near rivers, but at a very Considerable distance 
from. their borders. 
5. Cooking Ao eee & Fourier made a 
oy favorable report, on the 26th of August last, to the 
French Institute, relative to a new boiler (nouvean cale 
teur) invented by Lemare. It appears to consist of a bot= 
tom or grate which contains charcoal, and from which the — 
heated air ascends into the space between two concentric 
cylinders both of which contain water. The water in each 
vessel is heated at the same time, and that in the interior 
vessel, being surrounded by another vessel of hot water 
will retain its elevated temperature a great length of time. 
y means of a damper, the combustion of the charcoal can 
be regulated at pleasure. The current of hot air can also 
be intercepted or left free as necessity requires. The ex- 
terior vessel has but three small openings. One at the top 
for pouring in water, one at the bottom with a cock for draw- 
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