352 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I676. 



common seeds and organs. To be satisfied of this, let them view the figura- 

 tions in snow; let them view those delicate landscapes, which are very frequently 

 found depicted on stones, carrying the resemblance of whole groves of trees, 

 mountains, and valleys, &c.; let them descend into coal mines, where generally 

 with us the clifts near the coal are all wrought with curious representations of 

 several sorts of herbs, some exactly resembling fern branches, and therefore by 

 our miners called the fern-branch clift; some resembling the leaves of sorrel, and 

 several strange herbs, which perhaps the known vegetable kingdom cannot paral- 

 lel; and though it could, here can be no colour for a petrifaction, it being only a 

 superficial delineation. The like may be said of animals, which are often found 

 depicted on stones; as all mineral histories will sufficiently inform them. Now 

 since here is no place for petrifaction, or a vegetative soul, we can only say, that 

 here is that seminal root, though hindered by the unaptness of the place to pro- 

 ceed to give these things a principle of life in themselves, which in the first gene- 

 ration of things made all plants, and I may say animals, rise up in their distinct 

 species; God commanding the earth and waters to produce both, as some plants 

 and animals rise up still in certain places without any common seed. 



It seems to be a thing of a very difficult search, to find what this seminal 

 root is, which is the efficient cause of these figures. Many of the ancients 

 thought it to be some outward mover which wrought the figures in things for 

 some end; the Peripatetics rather judged it to be some virtue implanted in the 

 seed, and in substances having an analogous nature with the seed, &c. &c. 



Thus, I have given you something of what I conceive, and practically know con- 

 cerningthe vegetation of rock-plants, endeavouring also to render some account 

 of those various figures which are found amongst minerals. I shall conclude with a 

 request to you concerning a thing, which may prove very much to the advantage of 

 those who are concerned in mineral adventures : it is a constant opinion among our 

 miners, that lead ore discovers itself by an oily smell, and that chiefly in a morn- 

 ing, a little before the rising of the sun, especially when some showers have 

 fallen in the night: this being so, I find two things in the Transactions, which 

 give me hopes that this way of discovery may be much improved by art: the first 

 is an intimation of a way shown by Sir William Petty, in his tract of double pro- 

 portions, whereby we may discover a smell at a great distance, and so conse- 

 quently the intenseness and remissness of it near at hand, wherein the chief 

 difficulty will consist; for, where these smells rise, they commonly diffiise them- 

 selves to a furlong's circumference, or more; so that we are more at a loss to 

 find exactly the place whence they rise, than to make a first discovery of them. 

 The second thing is the statical baroscope of Mr. Boyle, which I conceive may 

 give us some light of their true source, there being probably at that place a 



