CHARCOAL. 



41 



to a certain degree ; and that it was employed 

 occasionally in the way he had mentioned. 



But/' I continued^ I am afraid that the 

 burning of charcoal must be a poor business^ if 

 used only for such purposes." I;, therefore^ 

 added the following particulars to his stock of 

 knowledge on this subject : 



Charcoal is made by subjecting wood to 

 the action of fire ; but it is so covered up in 

 sand^ or earthy that^ though it burns in a slum- 

 bering sort of way^ it is not consumed. It is 

 impossible to procure a substance resembling 

 charcoal by burning wood in the open air ; 

 which-, if any one should doubt^ let him try 

 the experiment. 



Charcoal is not liable to decay by age^ 

 even when placed in the earth. It was cus- 

 tomary for the ancients to char the outsides of 

 all timbers that were to be inserted in the 



