[ i8 9 ] 
lay near to the Subterranean fire of the volcano, fo as 
to be violently affected by it. 
The ffratum above this, of which N° 2. is a fam- 
ple, is already much burnt and calcined, but not 
enough to be whitened, having lain too far from the 
violence of the fubterraneous fire to be freed intirely 
from its heterogeneous and combuftible parts, info- 
much that the fire has left it quite black. 
The fmall layer or ffratum, which follows, that is, 
lies above it, or overlays the laft, and of which N° 3. 
is a fmall fample, is yet yellowifh, verging on brown ; 
and altho’-the burning is eafily feen on the extremi- 
ties, and the effedt of the fire in the interior part of 
the layer, yet it is eafily to be underffood, that it is 
the weaknefs of the fire incapable of reaching it with 
a force neceffary to calcine it, that has put it and left 
it in this ffate of imperfection. When one views this 
fample narrowly, veftiges, which appear pores of a 
wood, are eafily difcovered. 
The next layer fhews the fame thing, but more 
clearly: the pieces marked N° 4. are famples of it. 
This layer has been lefs attacked by the fire than thofe 
under it ; nevertheless the lightnefs of the fubffance 
ffiews, that it is already a little calcined, and the 
fight alone clearly demonffrates the refemblance of 
its pores to thofe of wood. 
The piece taken from the fifth ffratum, and marked 
N° y. confirms this fame observation. It is more 
weighty in proportion than all the others, becaufe it 
is lefs calcined; and indeed it is lefs calcined, only 
becaufe it was the fartheft diffant from the fubterra- 
nean fire, and thereby has Suffered lefs, as I have ob- 
ferved before. However, its ends or extremities evi- 
3 deptly 
