French Nutloml Injlitufe. 187 



C. VillaTS, affbciate, has announced to us that he found 

 folhl wood in the turf on one of the higheft mountai/is of 

 tb.e Alps, near- a glacier, and at the height of more than 

 2a8o feet above the neareft forefts now in exiftence. This 

 folTil wood confifts of trunks of larch, birch, and moun- 

 tain-afti, with their roots in perfect prefervation. Their fitu- 

 ation gives C. Villars reafon to believe that they grew on the 

 fame fpots whore they are buried. But how has the cold 

 become fo violent that the fame trees can no longer live at 

 fnch a creat altitude ? C. Villars afligns the caufc to the fink- 

 ing down of the fummits of thefe mountains ; their wafting in 

 confequence of being waflicd away by the rains ; and the im- 

 prudent deftru6lion of wood by the hand of man. 



A faft no lefs curious has been communicated to us by 

 Poiret. He has found frefli-water fliells in ftrata of turf, and 

 covered by other ftrata of the fame turf containing marine 

 fliells. The foil which prefented thefe objects mud then 

 have been firft watered by rivers, and afterwards inundated 

 by the fca, though at prefcnt it is found in the middle 0. 

 the Continent. 



C. Bcavois, aflbciate, has brought us, from North America, 

 proofs of changes no lefs aftonifliing in the ftate of the earth. 

 The remains of enormous quadrupeds, abfolutely unknown 

 at prefent, have been found there at various periods ', but 

 C. Beavois has fhown us bones different from any hitherto 

 dug up. Each dav, and every climate, furnifhes proofs 01 

 the revolutions which our globe has e.\pericnced, and which 

 are imprinted on its furface and in its bowels in indelible 

 characters. 



In Botany, the Clafs has received from C. Brouflbnet va- 

 luable obfervations on I'uch plants in Morocco and the Ca- 

 nary ides as are either ufeful or new. In thefe iflinds the 

 inhaljitants cultivate the mffcmbryanthctnjon crvJIalliniwiAxom. 

 which they cxtraft foda, and which by combuftion gives a 

 third of its weight. C. Brouflbnet is of opinion, that this 

 plant might be cultivated in the department of Var, between 

 •Montpellier and the fea. 



C. Teflicr has communicated obfervations on a difeafe in 

 B b :? millet, 



