Of this Fungus by Mr. Jejjops procuretnect I received (faith 
Mr.L^er) a good quantity 5 and yet I am not able tofay^ ia 
what form it grows. It docs not fecm to me to have any con- 
ant (hapc ; at left the pieces that I rcceiv'd are much like 
Feats or Turff^ cut up in the high moors^both in the footy co- 
lour and inward (ubftance ; this only is more clammy and 
toughjand dries not. And fome of this fungous fubftance is ve- 
ry k)tt aod like gelly^ In and about the mor^r folid pieces, (of 
which I have fome, half a foot fquare,) are many big lumps of 
a bituminous fubftance»This btiumm is very inflammable like 
RoOi^^it is very light,it breaks firm,and(hiDes like good Alocsj 
and for colorjit is not much unlike it/ave that it is more dark- 
colored and purpliftij yet there is much of it of a dark green 
colon We diftili'd a parcel of itj which yielded us an Acidu- 
lous limpid water j then, a white liquor, which was, I guefs, 
from fomex^f the Oily parts precipitate. And in the laft place, 
a copious yellow Oyl, not unlike that of Succinum or Pitch* 
In the neck of the Retort we o;)uld difceru no Volatil Salc^as 
in the like procefs upon Amber. Whether this ows its Origi- 
nal to a Vrgetablej or is truly a concret Mineral Juyce and a 
foffit^Bitumej I forbear to determine. I havcnotrcadof any 
ftch fungous Earthj in which bitumen naturally grows and ad^ 
liercsj And the finding of it in an Old mine doth much fa? 
vour the firft opinion of being a Vegetable fubftance 5 either 
the very fubftance of the proppsof Wood,they make ufe of 
in lioiog and fupporting the Grooves, thus altcr'd , or certain 
fungus % growing out of them. That Birch, (of which there is 
great plenty and hath been vaft woods all thcfc mountanous 
parrs of England over) will yield ^bitumen , as limpid as the 
fapiswhich runs from it by tapping, if we now had the skiJl 
to extraft it, Hiny h very exprefs, K 16. 18, Bitumen ex Be- 
tula Galli excoquunt. And more-over it is certain^that much of 
ihat wood, if not all, which is dugg up in the high moors of 
Craven^zud which the people there call and ufe iot Candle^ 
wpQod^ is no other than Birch y as ic appears from the grain and 
bark ^ and yet this wood kindleth flames,and exudats a rofio, 
which makes many pronounce it very Firr-wood. Whatever 
this bitumen is, which this Fungus fuhterranem yields, ic much 
differs from the Asfhaltum of the Shopps 5 and you may com- 
mand-. 
