Book IL. Jland of BARBADOS. Be 
There is likewife a Species of Mineral found in S%. Andrew's Parith, in 
Scotland. ‘This is as bright as polifhed Brafs, and generally of cubical 
Figures : By its Weight and Colour it is apt to give Hopes of being rich 
in fome valuable Metal ; but, being with great Care tried in the Crucible, 
it produced no manner of Metal. I take this to be a fulphureous Marca= 
fite, or the Pyrites flavus ; tho’ it is feldom met with here in globular 
Figures, as it is moft commonly found in England. 
‘There are alfo Stones taken out of the Sea, that are very hard and pon- 
derous, containing, by their dusky ferrugineous Colour, probably much 
Tron, and by their Smell, when broken, much Sulphur. The fame are 
fometimes to be met with on Land, efpecially at the Eftate of the Ho- 
nourable Samuel Roufe, Efq; 
The Soil likewife, in a great many barren and hilly Parts of Scotland, 
is often mixed with fmall Flakes of Icinglafs, as well as Pieces of tranf- 
parent Talc; the latter efpecially, in the Eftate of Miles James, Elgs. 
where are to be feen folid pellucid Pieces, weighing no lefs than Fourteen -. 
or Fifteen Ounces. ; 
And in S¥. George’s Parith are often dug up Lumps of a tran{parent 
refinous Subftance, at firft Sight exactly refembling Refin. What chiefly 
diftinguifhes it from Refin, is the Fragrancy of its Smell. Upon com- 
paring it with the Gum of the Birch Gum-tree, I found it to be of the 
fame Species. 
In fawing Stones for Building, there are often found, in the middle of 
folid Blocks of Stones, feveral kinds of Shells; fome of them not to be 
found on our Shores, efpecially the long Mufcle-thell. 
I have likewife a middle-fized petrified Echinite, taken from the mid- 
dle of a Piece of a fplit Rock. 
The Defcription of our Ores and Fofiils being finifhed, it may not beRemarka- 
$ oe , bleCaves in 
improper, before we leave our fubterraneous Inquiries, to take notice of Barbados 
fome of our moft remarkable Caves ; efpecially as thefe are many in Num- 
ber, and fome of them not only curious in the various Appearances of 
their petrified Icicles (if I may {0 call them), and other Conglaciations, 
but likewife, together with our deep Wells, very ferviceable to prevent 
Earthquakes, by giving at fo many Mouths Vent to thofe (2) Vapours, 
which would otherwife be confined in the Bowels of the Earth. 
My Inquiries into thefe Caves were the moft laborious and dangerous ; 
they were alfo by far the leaft pleafing to myfelf ; and I fear the Defcrip- 
tion of them (Cole’s Cave excepted) will prove leaft inftruétive or amufing 
to my Readers: But as common Report, long before my Intention of 
undertaking this Work, was ftrong in favour of feveral very extraordinary 
Reprefentations in fome Caves in my own Parith; efpecially, that there 
was, in one, the Effigy of a Woman with a Child in her Arms 3 and, a 
little 
(2) In the Time of great Droughts, the Air is not only very hot, but fometimes it fmells fulphureous : 
This I particularly obferved ontheThird Day of Augu/? 1747. Thefe fulphureousVapours were diffipated as 
foon as the Clifts of the parched Earth were faturated with the Rain, which, about that Time, fell in great 
Plenty. 
