( X0O5 ) 
where I found likewife fome pieces of the Stone, and 
very near, the fuperfice I got feveral pieces of a fibrous 
matter, which my Knife could not cut 5 this I immedi- 
ately judged to be an incombuftible matter, as it proved ^ 
afterwards when I try ci it by the Fire. And becaufe, (0 
far as I then remembred I had heard or read of it, I 
thought it had been always elteeaied certain dhm^nts 
tha.t csLtriQ oit the Lap7s Awknthos, 1 refolved to obfcrve 
more narrowly the produdion of it. 
When I found fome pieces of the Stones very hard ia 
the middle, and the fibrous matter on the outfides and' 
ends, I was inclined to believe that the Flax came froai 
the Stone : but then finding feveral pieces of the Flax 
fo condenfed and preffed together, that at firft they ap- 
peared to be hard Stones, but being a little wet, the fila-- 
ments were eafily parted from one another. Many more 
I got^ fome lefs and fome more condenfed, into the na- 
ture of a Stone 5 and all of it, both that which was con- 
denfed together, and what was not, was lying about 
an inch within the ground, parallel with the furface 
fo interwoven with the fibres of the Roots of the Grafs, 
tiaat it feemed to me much more probable to believe, that 
the Lint turned into the Stone, than the Stone into the 
Lint : efpecially feeing moft part of the Stones appeared fc^ 
tender and brittle on the outfide; that it's hard to believe 
how they could turn into that tough fubftance of Flax. 
The Stones are of different forts, fome are white, the- 
colour of the Lint, and of a very fof t fubftance 3 fo that 
shey may be eafily cut with a Knife without blunting it 5 
others are much mixt with a whitifh talk^ but moft of 
them are of a greyifli colour, and very hard. 
As for the produftion qf the Flax, t think it's hard to 
determine in this place 5 becaufe the greateft quantity I 
found of it, was lying, as I faid before, about an inch 
at mofl within the ground, parallel with the fuperfice, 
interwoven with the roots of the Grafsj without any 
Roo? 
