476 A VOYAGE TO Book VI. 



the appearance in the world that it would turn to 

 very good account, I myfelf, when I was at that 

 village, faw fome of thele fparks in their natural 

 ftate ; and both their colour and hardnefs fufficiently 

 fhewed that they were of a very fine fort. 



Another kind of (lone is found in great plenty all 

 over this country. It is of a fine green, and harder 

 than alabafter, though not pellucid : but no more va- 

 lued than any of the former : except that a few toys 

 or utenfils are made of it. 



Here are alfo fome mines of fulphur, and fome 

 parts afford vitriol but no farther known than as 

 nature has placed them in view ; not only the im- 

 provement of them being entirely negle(5ted, but 

 fcarce any notice taken of thofe which lie on 

 the furface of the ground ; either becaufe the in- 

 habitants (land in no need of thofe minerals, or 

 from their itrong averfion to any thing that re- 

 quires labour. 



North of Quito, betwixt two plantations, at the 

 foot of mount Anlagua, one of which bears the 

 fame name, and the other that of Courogal, runs a 

 very large river, which petrifies any wood, leaves, 

 &c. thrown into it. 1 have had whole branches 

 thus petrified ; and the porofity of the fl:em, the 

 fibres of the rind, even the fmallefl veins of the 

 leaves, and the meander of its fibrille, equally dif- 

 cernible as when frefh cut from the tree. I have alfo 

 had large pieces of timber petrified, which at firft 

 fight appeared to be wood thoroughly dried ; no 

 vifible alteration having been made in them except 

 in colour. 



With all thefe appearances, I cannot think that 

 the wood, leaves, and the like, which are put into the 

 river, are really turned into ftone of flich a hardnefs 

 as that I experienced: but as the appearance is unde- 

 niable, I fhall offer an explanation of this fuppofed 

 tranfmutation. It 



