i6o LETTER VII. 



find fuch Maffes of Stone, in moll:, if not all 

 Stony Counties in E?tgla?id, 



10. I fliall conclude this firfl; Article, by re- 

 minding you ; That in Paragraph the tenth, of 

 my firfl Letter, I make mention of the bottom 

 or root end, of two fmall Bufhes, which I fent 

 along with my Shells, to Dr. Woodward'^ Col- 

 lection ; That the Roots of them are fo firmly 

 fixed, in hard folid Stone, as to feem all of a 

 piece with them -, and that they muft have grown 

 in the Sea, becaufe the Land Soil there, produces 

 none fuch. My own Conjecture of them is ; 

 That either the Stone muft have been much fofter, 

 when the Plant firft took root in it^ or elfe, that 

 the Gravel, Slime, C^c, muft not long after gather 

 about the tender Roots, till it grew into Stone. 



11. But Secondly J Though the World might 

 be ever fo fufiiciently convinced, that Stones na- 

 turally grow ; yet it is often a difficult tafk, to 

 afllgn Reafons for their feveral Kinds, Colours, 

 ftrange Shapes, and beautiful Impreffions. Maxi- 

 milian Mijjon^ vol. i. page 170. faw in the Em- 

 peror's Cabinet, at Amras^ in the County of T/'- 

 Tc/, Stones reprefenting Trees, Fruits, Shells, and 

 Animals, all which were the pure Work of Na- 

 ture. And again, vol. 3. page 292. he takes par- 

 ticular notice of Stones, that are found on the 

 Mountains, about twelve miles diftant from Flo- 

 rence^ at LimagO'y which being fawed through 



the 



