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account of the Devonfhire foffil, which is commonly 
known by the name of the Bovey coal. It is found 
on a common furrounded with hills, called Bovey 
Heathfield, in the parifti of South-Bovey, 13 miles 
fouth-weft of Exeter, and 3 miles weft of Chud- 
leigh. The uppermoft of thefe ftrata rifes within a 
foot of the furface, under a fharp white fand, inter- 
mixed with an afh coloured clay, and underlies to 
the fouth about 20 inches in a fathom. 
The perpendicular thicknefs of thefe ftrata, in- 
cluding the beds of clay, with which they are inter- 
-mixed, is about 70 feet. There are about fix of 
each, and they are found to continue eaftward, in an 
uninterrupted courfe, to the village of Little-Bovey, 
a mile diftant, and probably extend much further. 
The ftrata of coal near the furface are from 1 8 inches 
to 4 feet thick, and are feparated by beds of a brownifh 
clay, nearly of the fame dimenfions, but diminifhing 
in thicknefs downwards, in proportion as the ftrata 
of coal grew larger ; and both are obferved to be 
of a more com pad an d folid fubftance in the lower 
beds. The lowermoft ftratum of coal is 16 feet 
thick ; it lies on a bed of clay, under which is a 
fharp green fand, not unlike fea fand, 17 feet thick, 
and under that, a bed of hard clofe clay, into which 
they bored, but found no coal. From the fand arifes 
a fpring of clear blue water, which the miners call 
mundic water, and a moifture of the fame kind 
trickling through the crevices of the coal tinges the 
outfide of it with a blue caft. 
Some fmall and narrow veins of coal are found in- 
termixed with, and fhooting through, the beds of 
clay, forming impreffions like reeds and grafs, and 
very 
