TRAVELS IN 
474 
feem to be fofiile, or in fome degree of petrifac- 
tion, or otherwife tranfmuted, particularly thofe 
curious produ&ions called birds bills, or fharks 
teeth (dentes carchari^), belemnites, &c., loofely 
mixed with a deficcated earth compofed of fand, 
clay,particlesofmarle,vegetablerubbilh,&c. And 
again we obferve ihells, inarcafites, 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 laminae feparate, and foon difcover a fine, 
white cryftallization,, or aluminous powder ; but 
this very foon difappears, being again incorpor- 
ated with the general mafs, which gradually dif- 
iolves 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 Afh- 
wood, is near three hundred yards over (when the 
ftream is low and within its banks), and is eighty 
or ninety miles above the capes. Obferved growing 
hereabouts a great variety of very curious and 
beautiful flowering and fweetfcented fhrubs, par- 
ticularly Callicarpa, AEfculus pavia, floribus coc- 
cineis, caule fuffruticofo, iEfculus fylvatica, flo- 
ribus ex albo et carneo eleg;anter variegatis, caule 
arboreo, Ptelea trifoliata, Styrax, Stewartia, Fo- 
thergilla, Amorpha, Myrica, Stiiiingia fruticofa, 
foliis lanceolatis, utrinque glabris, frudtu tricoc- 
co, Olea Americana, foliis lanceolato-ellipticis, 
baccisatro-purpureis (Purple berried bay ),Catef- 
by. Ilex dahoon, Cafline Yapon, Azalea, varie- 
ties, Kalmea, Cyrilla, Liquidambar peregrinum, 
Sideroxylon, Andromeda lucida, & c. 
Leaving Alhwood, and continuing up the Wefr. 
lide 
