188 Mr. Pnttinsoii on Fossil Trees in Derisoent Lead Mine. 



At eight feet from the second, the third tree was discovered, 

 standing upon the bed of carbonaceous shale, and penetrating 

 upwards into the roof of the drift as befoie, but differing from 

 the two last instances by being near the sun cheek of the vein. 

 Towards the base of the tree it was in contact with the cheek, 

 where an impression of bark was made; a little further up it 

 bent off the cheek to the distance of six or eight inches, and 

 further up still it again approached the cheek, but did not 

 touch it. The sj^ace all around was completely filled up with 

 the veinstone, as in the instances already mentioned. This is 

 the tree in Mr.Witham's possession. 



The fourth tree was a very large one, two feet in diameter, 

 and occurred at the distance of three feet from the last, standing 

 like it against the sun cheek of the vein, but differing from all 

 the others in the circumstance of its penetrating through the 

 carbonaceous bed downwards, below the drift sole, to an inde- 

 finite distance, and being cut off' entirely by a bed, as the 

 miners called it, at two feet above the floor of the drift, no 

 vestige whatever appearing further up in the vein. 



The fifth tree, four feet from the last, three feet in diameter 

 at the bottom, and twenty inches at top, was standing in the ex- 

 act position in which it was found, extending five feet in height 

 from the carbonaceous bed at the drift 

 sole upon which it rested, to near the 

 drift roof where it terminated, and 

 could no longer be traced ; the cause 

 of its discontinuance did not appear. 

 The annexed is a rough drawing of 

 this tree as it stood in the mine at the 

 time I saw it, and I believe still stands, 

 for the inspection of the curious. The 

 marks across the surface were occa- 

 sioned by its having been broken by 

 the removal of the stone from around it. 



This tree was the last discovered at 

 that time, and I did not perceive any 

 traces of other trunks in each cheek 

 of the vein; but Mr. Witham was at' 

 the spot some time afterwards, and it is 

 probable that further discoveries had been then made. 



Now, to account satisfactorily for the occurrence of these 

 trees in this situation is a very diflUcult matter; but if veins 

 have been at one time open fissures, and have been rendered 

 what they now are by subsequent filling up by deposition or in- 

 filtration, it is impossible to resist the conclusion that the trees 

 in question were deposited in the fissures forming Jefferies Rake 



