2 8 o November 1748. 



their money. In many places, on digging wells, 

 a quantity of rufhes and reeds have been found 

 almoft wholly undamaged ; and once on fuch an 

 occafion a whole bundle of flax was brought up, 

 found between twenty and thirty feet under 

 ground ; it feemed as little damaged as if it had 

 been lately put under ground ; all looked at it 

 with aftonifliment, as it was beyond conception 

 how it could get there : but I believe the good 

 people few fome American plants, fuch as the 

 wild Virginian flax, or Linum Virginiamim, and 

 the Antirrhinum Canadenje, which look very like 

 .common flax; yet it is remarkable that the 

 bundle was really tied together. The Europeans, 

 on their arrival in America, found our common 

 flax neither growing wild nor cultivated by the 

 Indians, how then could this bundle get into the 

 ground ? Can it be fuppofed, that pall ages have 

 feen a nation here, fo early acquainted with the 

 life of flax ? I would rather abide by the opi- 

 nion, that the above American plants, or other 

 fimilar ones, have been taken for flax. Char- 

 coal and fire-brands have often been found under 

 ground ; The Siytdfo church-warden, Eric Rag- 

 nilfon, told me that he had feen a quantity of 

 them, which had been brought up at the digging 

 of a well : on fuch occafions, people have often 

 found (at the depth of between twenty and fifty 

 feet) great branches and blocks. There were 

 fome ipots where, twenty feet under the furface 

 of the earth, the people had found fuch trowels 

 as the Indians ufe : from thefe obfervations they 

 all concluded, that this trad: of land had for- 

 merly been the bottom of the fea. It is to he 



obferved f 



