cf the Pyrites. 95 



at others, not at all ; alfo, that the fhells either con- 

 tinue to fubfift, or are entirely confumed •, and laii- 

 ]y, that generally they have no pyrites in or about 

 them : as, among others, we have an inftance in the 

 fand-ftone, wherein I have, with difficulty, found 

 fuch pyritified. From a due confideration of all the 

 circumftances evident in this fubterraneous muicle 

 hiitory, we cannot fuppofe thefe bodies to be the 

 effects of a lufus natur<e^ or even to be of a fubter- 



raneous origination, 



And mould it be objected to my making the 

 productions, namely, the volatile falts and foetid 

 oils, procurable in the fire from fuch foflil, figured 

 wood, mufcles, and bones, certain indications of 

 their vegetable and animal original, that thefe falts 

 and oils are already contained in the earth, in parti- 

 cular, that common fait is extremely fitted for vo- 

 latilization*, that, probably, the fal-ammoniac at 

 Puzzuolo in Italy, and the like places, where the 

 bituminous fea-water, or even fal-gem, is, toge- 

 ther with pyrites and flone-coal, made to act in a 

 due manner in the bowels of vulcano's •, and the 

 petrols, which (land proximately allied to amber 

 and ftone-coal, greatly refemble our oils, burnt out 

 of the fatty, refinous parts of plants \ that from aj~ 

 phaltum^ black and yellow amber, from aluminous, 

 ftone-coaly, black, fatty, fhivery minerals, not 

 only fuch oils, bur, in part, alfo volatile falts may 

 be prepared -, yet it does not therefore follow, that 

 the origin of thefe things in queftion, though they 

 manifeft themfelves in, is immediately from the 

 mineral kingdom. In a mediate fenfe indeed, ac- 

 cording to which every thing in nature is in a con- 

 ftant rotation and flux, we muft allow, not thefe 

 matters only, but alfo the entire vegetable and ani- 

 mal kingdoms, to be derived from the earth, and 

 thence from the widely extended mineral king- 

 dom. Now, 



