New Jerfy, Pern's Neck. 17 



Academy of Sciences for the year 1754, I 

 refer my readers to that account. 



December the jifh. THIS morning I 

 made a little excuriion to Penns Neck, and 

 further over the Delaware to V/ilmington. 

 The country round Penns Neck has the fame 

 qualities as that about other places in this 

 part of New Jcrfty. For the ground confifts 

 chiefly of fand, with a thin ftratum of 

 black foil. It is not very hilly, but 

 chiefly flat, and in moil places covered 

 with open woods of fuch trees as have an- 

 nual leaves, efpecially oak. Now and then 

 you fee a fingle farm* arid a little corn 

 field round it. Between them are here and 

 there little marfhes or fwamps, and fome- 

 times a brook with water,' which has a 

 very flow motion. 



THE woods of thefe parts confifl of all 

 forts of trees, but chiefly of oak and hiccory. 

 Thefe woods have certainly never been cut 

 down, and have always grown without 

 hindrance. It might therefore be expe<ft- 

 ed that there are trees of an uncommon 

 great age to be found in them ; but it 

 happens othervvife> and there are very few 

 trees three hundred years old. Moft of 

 them are only two hundred years old; 

 and this convinced me that trees have 

 the fame Quality as animals, and die after 



VOL. II. B they 



