97 



been above ground, including the mortice 

 holes, and the parts under the shoulder- 

 ^ig of the rails, where the painter's brush 

 could not reach, were perfectly sound. 

 As to what had been in the ground, the 

 parts near the surface, where the bark had 

 been taken off, with a part of the wood, 

 are somewhat decayed, but not deeper 

 than the sap. — It is to be observed, this 

 post was made from the whole tree, and 

 that, in squaring, all the outside was 

 taken off to some inches beneath the 

 ground ; below that, the squaring was 

 sloped outwards, by whiclt a great part 

 of the bark was there retained ; and so 

 far the wood under it is sound, except 

 some trifling decay at the edges; it hav- 

 ing evidently advanced from the sides, 

 not the surface. 



On examining the bdttom, and likewise 

 the sides, where branches were taken 

 off, it is clear that no moisture has been 

 imbibed by either, sufficient to do any 



