62 Biographical Anecdotes of 



portion of iron: he has seen three places in Russia where 

 there is superiicial peat moss, and in all of them the vitriol 

 is so abundant as to effloresce. In particular, on a moor 

 near St. Petersburgh, the clods show the vitriol (sulphate 

 of iron) every morning when the dew has evaporated. Ac^ 

 cording to this learned professor's observation, the sulphate 

 of iron in pit coal ma^^ be accounted for in the following 

 manner : — " Peat mosses form very regular strata, lying, 

 indeed, on the surface ; but if any operation of nature should 

 cover this with ^ deep load of other matter, it would be 

 compressed and rendered very solid ; and, remaining for ages 

 in that situation, might ripen into a substance very like pit 

 coal. (See the Medical and Chirurgical Review for No- 

 vember 1803.) 



5. Mr. Anstci/'s Testimnmj of the Use of Peat Dust and 

 Peat Ashes. 



SIR, Houghton Regis, Dec. 3, iSoi. 



I received yours, dated the 18th of November last, in 

 which you requested me to inform you what cx])eriment I 

 had inade from the turf dust taken from 'J'ingrith Moor. 

 I have made use of the ashes and dust near thirty years, and 

 I frequently lay on front eighty to a hundred bushels per 

 acre. Our land is dry, and very thin stapled, owing to 

 the chalk rock laying so very near the surface : it encourages 

 vegetation in moist warm weather ; but when hot and dry, 

 the reverse. We never mix any other manure with it. It 

 costs about fourpcncc per bushel, including all expenses. 



We chiefly spread it on our seed grass, clover, &c. 



I am, sir, your humble servant, 



Jos. Anstey. 



IX. Biographical yifiecdota of CiiARLF.sIlvTTOti, L.L.D. 

 F.R.S. 



JL HIS gentleman, so much distinguished by his abilities, 

 is a native of Newcastle-upon-Tvne, where he was born 

 about the year 1737. At an early age he was placed at a 

 school in tliat town, where he soon made a rapid progress ; 

 and about the eighiccnth year of his age, having lost his 

 parents, who, though in the humbler ranks of life, were 

 alwavs respectable, he endeavoured to provide for him- 

 self bv commencing countrv school-master. His first 

 eitablislnncnt in this line wjs at the village of Jesmond, 



about 



