Sone nf the principles of Vegetahlcs iuto B'thims?!. 153 



part, however, of the above work where he speaks of the 

 fossil wood of Iceland, called surturlruiid, he evidently ap- 

 pears doubtful how far volcanic fire may have acted upon 

 it ; although he conceives that, in the formation of it, there 

 has been some connection with volcanic operations. His 

 words are : " ^nid de ligno fossili Islandite sentiendum sit, 

 gnaro in loco natali contcmplatori decidaiidiim rcUncjuinius. 

 Jnterea, ut cum vulcani operationibus nexum credanius, 

 plures suadent rationes, quamvis hucusque modum ignorc- 

 jnus, quo situni texturamque adquisiverunt hcec strata." 

 It certainly was very natural that Bergmann should enter- 

 tain this opinion in respect to the surturbrand ; and it is 

 remarkable that the leaves contained in the schistus lately 

 described are of the same nature, and are found in the same 

 country. The leaves also described by Mr. St. Fond arc 

 likewise found in a country which, according to him, was 

 formerly volcanic. Were these substances, therefore, never 

 found but in countries which either actually are or w ere vol- 

 canic, wc should be almost compelled to believe, with the 

 Swedish professor, that the operations of subterraneous fires 

 have been concerned in the formation of these bodies, or 

 rather in ihe conversion of them into their present state. 



But similar substances are found in countries where not 

 the smallest vestige qf volcanic efiects can be discovered, and 

 Devonshire most undoubtedly is such ; yet, nevertheless, 

 the Bovey coal is there found similar to the surturbrand 

 in most of the external, and, from experiments which I 

 made some years ago, I believe I inay say, chcn)ioal propei'- 

 tie? ; to which must be added, that both these substances 

 perfectly reseml)Ie each other by forming regular strata*'. 



Moreover, the half charred appearance of Bovey coal, and 

 of surturbrand, cannot be adduced as any procjf that the ori- 

 ginal vegetable bodies have been exposed to the p;>rtial ef- 

 fects of subterraneous fire ; for at this time we know that 

 the oxidizement of substances is performed at least as fre- 

 (juentlv and as effectually by the humid as by the dry way. 

 It would tlKTcfore be supcrlluous here to enter into an cla- 

 (mrate discussion to prove that coal and bitumen, with 

 iniich greater probability, have been formed without the 

 intervention of lire; and I am llie less inclined to sav more 

 upon this subject, as I have already published some cousi- 

 deralioiis on it in a former paper f. 



* 'rran''acti<in<; <if tlic Liiincan Society, vol. iv. p. 138. Vc,n Truil j 

 L't crs, p. 42 0|)'isculrt Iicrjjmanni, roroc iii. p. 2 3-)- 

 \ Ti'iUjauio;!: ot du- J-inr.cun Society, vui iv pp 141, &.c. 



Before 



