THE PINE. 25 



this in such places and at such depths that they could 

 never have been opened since the destruction of this 

 forest till the time of the draina2:e. Nearalarc;e root, 

 in the parish of Hatfield, were found eight or nine coins 

 of some of the Roman em])erors, but exceeding;ly con- 

 sumed and defaced with time ; and it is very observ- 

 able, that on the confines of this low country, between 

 Burnin£j;hamand Brumby in Lincolnshire, are several 

 n:reat hills of loose sand, under which, as they are 

 yearly worn and blown away, are discovered many 

 roots of larfje firs, with the marks of the axe as fresh 

 upon them as if they had been cut down only a few 

 weeks. Hazel-mits and acorns have frequently been 

 found at the bottom of the soil of those levels and 

 moors, and whole bushes of fir-tree apples, or cones, 

 in lara:e quantities top;ether. 



The author of this paper then c^oes on to shew that 

 the Romans destroyed this immense forest, partly by 

 cuttino^ down the trees, and partlv by burning- them ; 

 and that these fallen trees dammed up the rivers, 

 which, forming a lake, gave origin to the large turf- 

 moors of that part ot the country. The Romans 

 themselves mention cutting down the British forests, 

 as well for the purpose of making roads through the 

 coimtry, as to drive the natives out of their fastnesses. 



In the peat-bogs of the bleakest districts of Scot- 

 land, the remains of pine trees are very abundant ; and 

 such is their durability, in consequence of the quantity 

 of turpentine tliey contain, that, where the birch is re- 

 duced to a pulp, and the oak cracks into splinters, as 

 it dries, the heart of tlie pine remains fiesh, and, em- 

 balmed in its own turpentine, is quite elastic, and 

 used by the country people in jjlace of candles. In 

 England, too, subterraneous beds of ])ines have been 

 found; and though, in consequence of the greater 

 warmth of the climate, these contain less turpentine, 

 and are more decayed, the remains of the cones, or 



D 



