-.^a 97 



An Account of the Ground of a Water-Pit, bored at Amsterdam^ 

 presented to the Society by Mon. Huygens de Zulichem. 



In the year 1605, the 15th of July, a water pit was bored at Amsterdam, in the hos- 

 pital of old men, 232 feet deep, (which is some 32 feet higher than the steeple of the 

 old church there) and the ground was found as followeth : 



Feet. 



1 Stony and garden ground 7 



2 Fen and dairy (turf) 9 



3 Soft clay 9 



4 Sand 8 



5 Earth 4 



6 Clay 10 



7 Earth 4 



O I 



8 Here followeth the sand on which most part of 



Amsterdam is founded 10 



9 Clay 2 



10 White sand ' 4 



1 1 Dry earth 5 



12 Turf bruised 1 



13 Sand . . . . 14 



14 Sandy clay 3 



1 5 Sand and clay mingled 5 



1 6 Sand and sea shells . 4 



17 After these ninety-nine feet, there is a couch of 



clean clay of 102 



18 Sand, in which the boring ended 31 



135 



232 feet. 



In the foregoing account, Mr. Huygens, remarks, one thing is par- 

 ticularly observable, the occurrence of turf twice in the same boring, 

 once immediately below the vegetable mould and gravel (stony 

 ground), and again at the depth of seventy-two feet. 



Various opinions have been adopted respecting the origin of 

 peat, arising from the different appearances yielded by it in differ- 

 ent situations. Many were of opinion, that it had obtained the 

 form in which it now appears, at the creation of the world ; the vast 



VOL. i. o 



