^ 105 



the tree, but as hard as a bone, and in some as black as a coal. 

 Similar to the Bovey Coal, its veins, instead of running straight, like 

 the fibres of wood, were undulated and irregular, taking a variety of 

 forms, and were only superficial ; for, upon taking off one of the 

 thin laminae of which this fossil was composed, the veins under- 

 neath appeared in a different direction. This fossil, when first taken 

 out of the earth, burnt like a bone; and consumed slowly in the 

 fire, with a considerable smoke and disagreeable smell; but if dried, 

 before it was burnt, the smell was more pleasing. Many of the 

 pieces, he observes, were sprinkled with pyrites ; and there exudes 

 from some parts of it, a white bituminous substance, like rosin. 

 Stelluti is convinced, that this ligniform matter is not of vegetable 

 origin, but supposes it to be generated from a cretaceous earth, 

 transforming itself into wood, by the assistance of sulphurous 

 water, minerals, and subterraneous heat ; a thick smoke, and some- 

 times even flames appearing, particularly in rainy weather. 



Gassendus, in his Life of the illustrious Peireskius*, describes the 

 fossil wood of Aqua Sparta, which had been just discovered. There 

 were only found, he says, portions resembling trunks, but no ves- 

 tiges of branches, knot, or roots ; which yielded an argument, as it 

 were, that woods might be generated and concreted in this form, 

 and not, according to the vulgar, derived from wood overthrown 

 and become petrified 



Professor Hollman, of Gottingen, presented to the Royal Society 

 a paper, which appeared in the second part of the fifty-first volume 

 of the Society's Transactions, with the title of Montium quorundam 

 pr&altorum, magna Ligni Copia quasi infarctorum, brews Descriptio ; 

 and in 1784 he republished it with some additions, at Gottingen, 

 under the title of Loci memorabilis, in quo ingens Ligni fossilis Copia 

 reperitur, Descriptio. 



From these accounts, it appears that, near the city of Munden, 



* Vita illustris Peireskii, lib. v. 1637. 

 VOL. I. P 



