MISCELLANEOUS PARTICULARS 



CONNECTED WITH THE 



NATURAL HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 



IT has been observed in Leek church-yard of the setting of the 

 sun at the summer solstice, near a hill called the Cloud, about six 

 miles distant, (which hill being a precipice, and appearing almost 

 perpendicular on the northern side,) that the sun seems so nicely to 

 cut the edge of it at setting, it can plainly be perceived by the help 

 of this hill that no two days are equal, but that there is a sensible va- 

 riation of the solar motion. If the parts were well defined by solid 

 work and painting, and one or more fixed stations established in 

 Leek church-yard, this might be converted into a quadrant of six 

 miles radius, and applied to the purpose of very accurately deter- 

 mining the obliquity of the ecliptic, and its variation. 



Dr. Plot mentions a Black Moist Rotten Earth, that lies just under 

 the turf in heathy soils, where he was told seriously by different 

 gentlemen, near Beresford and Rudyerd in the Moorlands, and also 

 at Bescote,near Walsall," that if one ride in a dark night, in a moist 

 season, when a horse breaks through the turf, and throws up this 

 black, moist, spongy sort of earth, he seems to fling up so much 

 fire, which lies shining upon the ground like so many embers ; by 

 the light whereof one horse may trace another, though at some 

 distance, and never so dark, it continuing light upon the ground, 

 and being gradually dying away for some minutes, or near a 

 quarter of an hour." We have heard of similar phenomena occurring 

 at Chartley-moss, or some moist ground thereabouts ; and without 

 personal experience can conceive it possible, upon the principle of 

 some other bodies or substances shining in the dark, as rotten 

 wood, glow-worms, &c. 



Tobacco-pipe C/ai/was formerly got in different parts of the county. 



