116 



not asked him something about the origin of 

 coal, 



(f Before I answer that question," said he, 

 " we must have a little discussion on the nature 

 of peat; a substance which seems to be very 

 closely allied to coal, and which, there is no 

 doubt, has been produced by the decay and de- 

 composition of vegetable matter. There are 

 different kinds of peat, therefore, according to 

 the different kinds of plants of which it is com- 

 posed, and the different situations in which the 

 process has been carried on ; such as marsh, 

 forest, and marine peat. Some extensive bogs 

 have been caused within the memory of man, by 

 the decay and natural fall of forests, over which 

 the sphagnum palustre and other mosses rapidly 

 spread ; agricultural implements and various 

 domestic utensils have been found under them ; 

 and we may therefore assume, that as peat 

 appears to be in the act of progressive increase, 

 it belongs to an order of causes still in action. 

 When examined, peat appears to be an entire 

 mass of vegetable fibres: towards the surface 

 they are nearly in an unchanged state, but in 

 the middle the peat becomes more compact ; 

 and at the bottom of a very deep and ancient 

 bog, they are almost obliterated, the substance 

 being dense and black, and having all the 

 chemical characters of jet. In some instances 



