474 
TRAVELS IN 
feem to be foffile, or in fome degree of petrifac- 
tion, or otherwife tranfmuted, particularly thofe 
curious productions called birds bills, or fharks 
teeth (dentes carcharias), belemnites, &c. loofely 
mixed with a deficcated earth compofed of fand, 
clay, particles of marie, vegetable rubbifh, &c. 
And again we obferve (hells, marcafites, belemnites, 
dentes carcharise, with pieces of wood tranfmuted, 
black and hard as fea coal, fingly interfperfed in the 
black vitriolic ftrata of earth : when this black 
earth is expofed to the fun and dry air, the little 
thin laminse feparate, and foon difcover a fine, 
white cryftallization, or aluminous powder ; but 
this very foon difappears, being again incorporated 
with the general mafs, which gradually difTolves or 
falls like quick-lime, and appears then a grayifh, 
extremely fine, dry micaceous powder, which fmells 
like gun-powder. 
The North Weft of Cape Fear, here at Afhwood, 
is near three hundred yards over (when the ftreanx 
is low and within its banks), and is eighty or ninety 
miles above the capes. Qbferved growing here- 
abouts a great variety of very curious and beautiful 
flowering and fweet fcented fhrubs, particularly CaU 
licarpa, iEfculus pavia, floribus coccineis, caule 
fuffruticofo, iEfculus fylvatica, floribus ex albo et 
carneo eleganter variegatis, caule arboreo, Ptelea 
trifoliata, Styrax, Stewartia, Fothergilla, Amorpha, 
Myrica, Stillingia fryticqfa, folijs lanceoiatis, utrin- 
que glabris, fruchi tricocco, Ql'ea Americana, fo- 
liis lanceolato-ellipticis, baccis atro-purpureis (Pur- 
ple berried bay), Catefby. Ilex dahoori, Caffine 
Yapon, Azalea, varieties, Kalmea, Cyrilla, Liquid- 
ambar peregrinum, Sideroxylon, Andromeda lu- 
cida, &c. 
Leaving Afhwood, and continuing up the Weft 
fide 
