and periods. Thus also it often constitutes the well- 

 known hog; remaining semifluid beneath, while bear- 

 ing, above, a matting of half decomposed vegetables, 

 or partial firm spots of living rushes or other plants. 

 This rush-turf, as it is called, is generally an imperfect 

 peat, and often also covers a stratum of a perfect na- 

 ture, resulting from that drainage which is the solidi- 

 fication of a trembling bog. This is the peat in which 

 the Sphagnum palustre abounds, being its natural soil; 

 but extreme inattention or absolute ignorance alone, 

 could have assigned the origin of all peat to this moss, 

 as has been done by numerous writers of presumed 

 reputation. 



I may here remark, once for all, that every plant 

 existing where peat is produced, contributes to its for- 

 mation, and each in proportion to its ligneous mat- 

 ter. Those of our own country ought to be too well 

 known to require enumeration ; while, as they must 

 differ in every climate, a catalogue would be equally 

 tedious and useless. If our own peat is the produce 

 of our lacustral and marsh plants, that which laid the 

 foundation of coal was generated by those whose ana- 

 logies we trace in the present tropical ones. That 

 there have been writers who considered peat a living 

 vegetable, is but conformable to all the rest of the 

 former philosophy on this subject. 



Lake peat presents an additional interest, arising 

 from that obliteration of lakes of which it is an auxi- 

 . liary cause. But two distinct sets of plants are here 

 engaged, under two distinct processes; so that the en- 

 tire proceeding is more complicated than in the 

 preceding cases : while, seeing the final cause, we can- 

 not but be struck by contrivances to which, were they 

 human, the term ingenuity would most justly be ap- 

 plied. The shallow portions produce floating plants, 



