Mr. Lhwyd to Mr. Ray. 



Honoured S I R y Oxford^ Sept. 12— pf. 



IReceiv'd your Letter of the fourth > and that you 

 may have a truer Idea of thefe Subterraneous Plant s y 

 than I can poffibly give you by Correfpondence 5 1 have 

 fent this Day by the Carrier, a fmall Box of them, 

 directed for you to be left with Mr. Smith. I had 

 brought a great Glod of them about half a Year fince, 

 from the Foreft of Dean , and had bury'd it in the 

 Ground here in a moift place, in hopes 'twould keep 

 the better, the Figures being very apt to difappear after 

 feme Months keeping. This, at the taking of it up, 

 crumbFd in pieces $ however, I have fent it you as it 

 is, and hope it may ferve to give you as clear a No- 

 tion of the ftate of thefe Fojfil Leaves^ as if you were 

 your felf at the Cole-pits. I have alfo added thofe three 

 Specimens I havefigur'd in Camden^ tho' one of them 

 ( I mean that which I fuppofe to be an undefcrib'd 

 Plant*) I was willing to venture only the one half, 

 not knowing whether I may ever meet with the like 

 again, Thefe three are much fairer than thofe \va 

 have from Glocefterjhire and Somerfet y and lodged in 

 firmer Stone. When you have view'd them fuffici- 

 ently, be pleas'd to take what you like out of the Glo- 

 cefterjhire Parcel, and return the reft to me at your 

 leifure. I heartily wifh you may be able to fatisfy 

 your felf upon fight of them, whether they are ori- 

 ginal Productions, or the Remains of once real Plants : 

 For I muft confefs that at prefent I cannot acquiefce 

 in the Opinion of their having been once mere Plants 

 growing on the furface of the Earth. I have in my 

 Cuftody a piece of native Silver , lodg'd in Spar y J 

 brought four Years fince out of the Weft Indies - y 



whereof 



