120 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1725. 



north-west and north, in the drift of the coal in higher ground, and conse- 

 quently lying over it, there appear, in the sides of the hills, seams of spar and 

 lead, the drift of which is north-east, and lies almost perpendicular ; but w hat 

 obliquity there is, pitches to the south-east. At Auchenclaugh, 6 miles east 

 from Kylsith, there is a coal 18 feet thick; this dips 1 foot in 3, and is not 

 pursued, by reason of water ; and, for want of a market, will not quit the 

 cost of draining. At Madestone, the coal is 44- feet thick, and above 3i 

 fathom deep : they land it on girls backs. Near Tranent three different veins 

 are wrought; the undermost is about 18 fathom from the surface, called the 

 Splenty coal, 4^ feet thick; it is a hard, but not large coal; it makes a clear 

 and strong fire; lies 10 fatliom under the main coal, which is Q or 10 feet 

 thick, and comes out very large. Its roof is of freestone, under which Mr. 

 S. walked backward and forward 2 hours ; but had no opportunity to make any 

 other observations on the upper vein, than that it is about 4 feet thick, and 

 neither so hard nor large as the other. 



As fig. 3 and 4 represent the different strata which Mr. S. observed, on a 

 supposed plane, as they there lie; fig. 5 and 6 represent them in a globular 

 projection, supposing the mass of I he terraqueous globe to consist of the fore- 

 going, or perhaps of 10,000 other difl^erent minerals, all originally, while in a 

 soft and fluid state, tending towards the centre. It must mechanically, and 

 almost necessarily follow, by the continual revolution of the crude mass from 

 west to east, like the winding up of a jack, or rolling up the leaves of a paper- 

 book, that every one of these strata, though they all reach the centre, must, 

 in some place or other, appear to the day; in which case there needs no spe- 

 cific gravitation to cause the lightest to be uppermost, &c. for every one in its 

 turn, in some place of the globe or other, will be uppermost; and were it 

 practicable to sink to the centre of the earth, all the strata, that are, would be 

 found in every part, and according to the Poet, Ponderibus librata suis. Add 

 to this, that in all places within Mr. S.'s knowledge, the observation of Dr. 

 Stukely has held good, that the precipices of all hills are to the westward, 

 whereas the ascent to the east is more gradual. 



The common Experiment for proving French Brandy, shown to be both false 

 and fallacious. By M. Neuman. N° 39 1, p. 398. Translated from the 

 Latin. 



Some merchants in Holland, England, Hamburg and Dantzic, who chiefly 

 deal in French brandy, boast of a certain probatory experiment, as a very 

 curious arcanum ; they firmly persuade themselves, that by means of this ex- 



