Obfer ναι ions &c. a^y 



fent back or confined ; whereas in Summer, the whole Coun- 

 try being full of deep Chinks and Chafms, the inflammable Par- 

 ticles have an eafier Efcape. 



We cannot trace any of the preceeding Thenomeita^ (orfcarceiv<?g»<7rr;« 

 any other Branch of the Natural Hiftory ) much lower than the 

 Surface. Thofe Quarries of Marble ' which are taken Notice 

 of by the Antients, are not known at prefent ; and indeed the 

 fmall Quantity of Marble that appears to have been made ufe 

 of in the moil fumptuous Buildings of this Country, would in- 

 duce us to believe, that either there never were fuch Quarries, 

 or that the Marble was fent away to other Places. For the^''^''^'^"'/ 

 Materials that are made ufe of in all the antient Edifices ο^ΦοΡΙΖΙύ- 

 this Country, at Jol Ccefarea, Sii'ifi, Ciria, Carthage &c. are '"' "' '"^'' 

 not much different, either in their Colour or Texture, from the 

 foft and harder Kinds of the Hedd'mgton Stone near Oxford. 



The Wells (except in Wadreag and fome other Parts οι thtrhe Layers of 

 Sahara) are rarely of any great Depth ; and, in digging them *^"''^''^''^' 

 I have often obferved, that after the Soil is removed, thev 

 pafs through feveral different Layers of Gravel , and fome. 

 times, though rarely, of Clay, 'till they arrive at a foft fleaky stont^ 

 Kind of Stone, the fure Indication of Water. When there is 

 neither Soil nor Gravel, as in feveral Places near Algiers 

 and Bona, this fort of Stone lyeth immediately upon the Sur- 

 face, being frequently very beautifully guilded all over with Gold- η u j ■• 

 like-bpangles; as the Sparry Matter, which fiUeth up theFiflures ^^'^-^'-^'Span- 

 glittereth with Thofe that imitate Silver. I could not learn 

 that either Agates or Stones of the like Beauty and Confiftence 

 were Natives of this Country. Even the common Flint Stone 

 which moft other Nations have in Plenty, occurreth fo very 

 feldom in fome Parts of Barbary, that our Merchant Veflels 

 have received fome of them in the Downs for Ballaft, and 

 difpofed of them at Algiers for feven Shillings the Quintal. 



The Selenites , which fometimes fpreads Itfclf over whole 

 Acres of the woody and mountainous Diftrids; a tranfparent ' ''^''""' 

 ftriated, yellow and flefli coloured Talk or Gj/pfum, that lyeth x^u, ^„^ 

 often expanded, in thin Cakes, over the rocky Parts of the*^^^^'""• 

 Sahara-, fome chriftal-like /r/Wa or ^r//?i?/-Stones, found in indes. 

 the Mountains of ^u/^/V/Wj ; the dark-coloured double-coned i>..^/.-..w 

 Chryftals horn Zibhafs ζηά Ellou-leejah\ with a A^anety οί^*"'^^*''• 



I Exc. p. 21. cap.5. p. 23. cap. 26. &c. 



Nnn t Cawk 



