88 September 1748. 



thering the feeds of plants of all kinds, and in 

 putting fcarce plants into the herbal. 



Sept. 25th. MR. Hejfitius mz&e me a prefent 

 of a little piece of petrified weod, which was 

 found in the ground here. It was four inches long, 

 one inch broad, and three lines thick. It might 

 plainly be feen that it had formerly been wood. 

 For in the places where it had been polifhed, all 

 the longitudinal fibres were eafily diftinguiflia- 

 ble, fo that it might have been taken for a piece 

 of oak which was cut fmooth. My piece was 

 part of a ftill greater piece. It was here thought 

 to be petrified hiccory. I afterwards got more of 

 it from other people. Mr. Lewis Evans told me, 

 that on the boundaries si Virginia, a great petri- 

 fied block of hiccory had been found in the 

 ground, with the bark on it, which was likewife 

 petrified. 



MiR.JobnBartram, an Englifhman, who lives 

 in the country, about four miles from Philadel- 

 phia, has acquired a great knowledge of natural 

 philpfophy and hiftory, and feems to be born with 

 a peculiar genius for thefe fciences. In his youth 

 he had no opportunity of going to fchool. But 

 by his own diligence and indefatigable application 

 he got, without inftrudlion, fofar in Latin, as to 

 underftand all Latin books, and even thofe which 

 were filled with botanical terms. He has, in fe- 

 veral fucceffive years, made frequent excurfions 

 into different diftant parts of North America* 

 with an intention of gathering all forts of plants 

 which are fcarce and little known. Thofe which 

 he found he has planted in his own botanical 

 garden, an$ likewife fent over their feeds or frefh 



