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old church having become unsafe, the whole of it was taken down 

 except the tower at the north-west angle, to which a new church was 

 attached, standing within the site of the old one, and the new 

 building was completed about two years ago. From the north and 

 south doors eastward the ground rises rapidly, and an area is formed 

 round the church to preserve it from damp ; from the same doors to 

 the westward the ground falls far below the level of the floor within. 

 The floor and ground beneath the old church were removed and the 

 graves filled up. The new seats, which were open, rested on oak- 

 sleepers, supported by new dwarf walls, the floors of the seats being 

 about sixteen inches above the ground; but the earth on which the 

 paving of the aisles or passages was laid was as high as, and rested 

 against the sleepers on, the dwarf walls. The other parts of the seats 

 were of Baltic deal. Good limestone masonry was used in the con- 

 struction of the walls ; the pillars and windows were made of stone 

 from France ; and the aisles were paved with closely-jointed fine 

 black slate. 



Within a few months after the completion of the church a fungus 

 was observed at the seat at the corner immediately behind the south 

 door, and soon after decay appeared in other seats near it. Fresh 

 passages for air were made through the walls running under the 

 seats, but in a few months these were filled with a species of vege- 

 table matter looking like fine mould. This was found to spread 

 under the whole of the seats to the west of the south door, and suc- 

 cessively affecting those to the eastward of the same door and those 

 of the centre of the church, but always that part which adjoined the 

 aisle or passage. A suspicion arose, from taking up some of the 

 stones of the aisles, that there was a plant which had its origin near 

 the south door, which crossed under the paving of the aisles, and 

 travelled along the sleepers and framing of the seats, causing all the 

 mischief; and a thorough investigation was determined on. On 

 taking down some of the seats, a fuiigus was found having some of 

 its branches as large as straws, and others as fine as horse-hair, 

 spreading out under the floors of the seats in the very finest fibres, 

 breaking into forms resembling the finest leather, and wherever it 

 obtained a good supply of air by means of an air-channel, becoming 

 half an inch thick, attached on one side to the dry floor, and having 

 on the other side a spongy surface, fitted for the collection of 

 moisture from the atmosphere ; for although the floor was perfectly 

 dry, the fungus by which it was eaten out was as wet and cold as 

 a sponge filled with water. The seat next the south door was 



