leaves of aquatic plants. The remains of some of these trees were 

 still standing on their roots, while the trunks of the great part lay 

 scattered on the ground, in every possible direction. The barks of 

 trees and roots appeared, generally, as fresh as when they were 

 growing; in that of the branches particularly, of which a great 

 quantity was found, even the thin silver membranes of the outer 

 skin were discernible. The timber of all kinds, on the contrary, 

 was decomposed, and soft in the greatest part of the trees : in some, 

 however, it was firm, especially in the roots. The people of the 

 country have often found among them very sound pieces of tim- 

 ber, fit to be employed for several economical purposes. 



The sorts of wood, which are still distinguishable, are birch, fir, 

 and oak. Other woods evidently exist in these islets, of some of 

 which the leaves were found in the soil. In general, the trunks, 

 branches, and roots of the decayed trees were considerably flat- 

 tened ; similar to the surturbrand or fossil wood of Iceland, as well 

 as to that found in the lake of Thun, in Switzerland. 



The soil to which the trees are affixed, and in which they grew, 

 is a soft greasy clay ; but for many inches above its surface, the soil 

 is entirely composed of rotten leaves, scarcely distinguishable to 

 the eye ; many of which may be separated by putting the soil in 

 water, and dexterously and patiently using a blunt spatula or knife. 

 By this method the Doctor, from whose account this extract is 

 made, obtained some perfect leaves of ilex aquafolium, which are 

 now in the herbarium of the Right Honourable Sir Joseph Banks ; 

 and some other leaves, which, though less perfect, seem to belong 

 to some species of willow. In this stratum of rotten leaves, could 

 also be distinguished some roots of arundo phragmites. 



By examining a well, dug at Sutton, by Joshua Searby, these 

 gentlemen discovered, that a moor of the same nature is found un- 

 der ground in that part of the country, at the depth of sixteen feet ; 

 consequently very nearly on the same level with that which consti- 



