cc 

 <c 



' A Difconrfe of Forcfl-Trees. py 



" feem'd to have been Wood at firft, were any thing wafted, but 

 " the parts appear'd as folid, and clofe, as before. It was farther 

 " obfervable alfo, that as it did not confume like wood , fo neither 



did it crack and fly like a Flinty or fuch like hardjiofte i nor was 



it Ions; before it appeared red- hot. 

 " Fiftly, in its diflblublenefs ; for putting fome drops of dijiil- 



led Vinegar xx^on the Jione^ I found it prefcntly to yield very 

 *' many bubble f, )uft like thole which may be obferved in jpirit of 

 *' Vinegar when it corrodes Coral ; though I guefs many of thole 

 *' bttbbles proceeded from the fmall parcels of Air^ which were 

 " driven out of the pores of this petrif'd fubftance, by the infinu- 

 " ating liquid z«e«i?r««/«. 



" Sixthly, in its Rigidnef, and jriability 3 being riot at aWflexi- 

 '^ hle^ but brittle like a Flint ^ infomuch that with one knock of a 

 " Hammer IbrokeofFa fmall piece of it, and with the fame ham' 

 " mer quickly beat it to pretty fine powder upon an Anvil. 



** Seventhly, it feem'd alfo very differing from voood to the 

 *'^ touch, feeling more cold then veood ufually does, and much like 

 '' other clofe Stones and Minerals. 



" The Reafons of all which Phsnomona (eem to be. 



** That thispetrifi'd wood having lain in fome place where it was 

 *' well foaked -with petrifying water ("that is, fuch a water as is well 



impregnated withjiony and earthy particles) did by degrees le- 



parate, byjiraining and filtration, or perhaps hy pnecipitation, 



co-bapon OTco-agulation, abundance of J?<'»;'p4rfzr/e/ from that 



Sermeating water, which^^^jw^ particles having, by means^oftrhe 

 uid Vehicle, convey'd themfelves not only into the microfcopi- 

 '' cal pores, and perfedly ftop'd up them i but alfo into the />tfrcx, 

 which ihay perhaps be even in that part of the Wood which 

 t\\xo\x^thc microfcope appears moft folid^ do thereby fo aug- 

 ment the weight of the wood, as to make it above three times 

 heavier then water, and perhaps fix times as heavy as it was 

 when wood : next, they hereby fo lock up and fetter the parts 

 of the wood, that the /re cannot eafily make them fly away, but 

 *' theaftion of the Fire upon them is only able to Char thofe parts, 

 "as it were, like as a piece of wood'xi it beclofed very fiifl up in 

 " clay, and kept a good while red-hot in the fire , will by the heat 

 "^of the fire be charr'd, and not confum'd 5 which may perhaps 

 " be the Reafon why the petrifi'd fubfiance appear'd of a Wakifh 

 "^ brown colour after it had been burnt. By this intruiion of the 

 " petrifi'd particles it alfo becomes hard , and fi'iable '-, for the 

 *' fmaller pores of the wood being perfeftly ftufied up with thefc 

 '^Jiony particles , the particles of the wood have few, or no pores 

 *' in which they can refide, and confequcrftlyjno^ejx-r^jwor yield- 

 " ing can be caus'd in fuch afttbBance. The rcmainmg particles 

 " likewife of the wood among thefiony particles may keep them 

 *' from cracking and flying, as they do in a Flint. 



Finally, for the ufe of our Chimneys, and maintenance of fire. Fuel, 

 the plenty of wood for Fuel, rather then the quality is to be locked i, 

 after ; and yet are there fome greatly to be preferr'd before 



P others. 



