( 3°4 ) 
your Lordftsip with, relating to this Subjeft, and which, 
1 think, are worth your Lordfhip’s knowledge. One 
is, that I have feen what I thought had been pieces 
of Wood, not only in Clay Pits, but even in Quaries 
or Stone Pits, in the Blocks of Stone iaifed out of their 
Strata , or Layers 5 and have been allured by Mr. Betters, he 
hath feen large pieces of Wood in the Stone Pits in Glou- 
cejlerffjire \ and alfo that in Lancajhire there is a Mofs, or 
TurfBogg, where the black fpungy Mould, made ufe of for 
Peats* fmells very ftrong of Bitumen, or Petroleum 5 of the 
Oil of which it yields a very great quantity by Diftillatiori. 
And likewife, what the late Sir Edvoard Hannes told me, 
namely, that near the Lord Bleffington's Houfe at Blef- 
fington in Ireland, there appeared a Light where the 
Horfes trampled with their Feet on a certain fpace of 
foft Ground. On my defire he procured me fome of 
this Mould, w’ich I have yet by me, and which agrees 
exactly in its dark colour, lightnefs, &c: with Peat Earth. 
And on Examination of this by a Microfcope, I found 
the light proceeded from many fmall half tranfparent 
whitilh live Worms, which lay. in it.. 
The Blacknefs of theOak, which your Lordfhip menti- 
ons, comes, in my Opinion, from the Vitriolic Juices of 
the Earth foak’d into the Oak, which being aftringent 
is turn’d biack by them. Your. Lordfhip knows that Ink 
is made of Galls, an aftringent Excrefcence of a fort of 
Oak in Turkey, made by an Infeft there ^ and of green 
Vitriol, which is made of the Pyrites diflolv’d by Rain 
Water, and Iron. Earth of all forts, and even Human 
Calculi, and the Afhes of Vegetables, have in them Par- 
ticles cf Iron, in greater or Lifer quantities. The Py- 
rites is alfo very common. The Particles of Iron com- 
ing to be diftblv’d by this Pyrites,.. Subacid, or other Salts 
diitolv’d by Wafer, cs perhaps by Water irfelf, and car- 
ried into thele Boggs, there .fattens to the. Tree, foaks 
into it, and turns it black. 
Thdk 
