r792. ° a curious petrifaction. 145 
greater difficulty of getting it cut over, we will find that it 
‘was almost an insurmountable tafk to attempt it. The 
woody part could indeed have been cut over by a saw, but 
no imprefsion c uld have been thus made on the stone, 
“Mr James Haig, desirous of giving some specimens of it to 
a friend, consulted an eminent lapidary about getting a cut 
of it sawn through ; but the artist declared, that without 
forming a set of new tools for the purpose it could not be 
done, and even then it would be a matter of extreme difficult y 
and great expence ; so that, while connected with the wood, 
it could not at all be done ; and no practicable mode of di- 
viding it, but that of breaking by a hammer only, remained. 
We may with for several other elucidations respecting 
this singular production of nature, which it is pofsible may 
be still obtained on the spot by those who fhall have occa- 
-sion to go thither. Was the whole of the heart of the tree 
thus petrified from the bottom upwards? It would seem pro-~ 
bable it was not, otherwise the workmen would have obser™ 
ved it oncuttingdownthetree. If it did not range along 
the whole heart, how much of it in length was thus chang- 
ed? Was it ofa regular thicknefs through its whole length 
or was it irregular? Ifthe last, what appearances did it ex- 
hibit ? If the first, was it of an equal thicknefs throughout 
its whole extent ; or did it taper towards the top of the tree, 
or otherwise? Was it broken into lengths by the bending 
of the tree while growing ; or had it been so elastic as to 
yield with the wood without fracture? If upon the spot some 
of it could be so broken as to discover whether the inner part 
were more full of fhakes than the outer part ofit, this would 
afford a tolerable proof that it had been gradually accumula- 
ted as the tree advanced in size ; because while the tree was 
small it would be more easily bent than when larger. But 
0 effect this kind of analysis would be a very difficult taik, 
| OL, xii. T t+ 
\ 
