Petref action found at Eaft Lothian. 39 
being near any mafs of iron, and ftill more fo by the ad- 
mixture of any folution of that metal. 
This appears, in fome degree, from the prefent fpe- 
cimen; where, near adjoining to the ring, and in the 
portion of the fragment that has the largeft impreffion 
thereof, the concreted fand-ftone is of a firmer texture, 
and there is a larger cohering mafs formed about that 
part of the rope, than about thofe parts that are further 
removed from the ring. 
It appears alfo from a circumftance that was particu- 
larly taken notice of when the wreck was difcovered by 
the ftorm this year (and which is mentioned, sir, in the 
letter you favoured me with a fight of); for the mafles 
that were obferved to have thefe concretions adhering to 
them, were not mafles of timber, or other large fragments 
of the wreck, which one would think, on a flight confi- 
deration of the matter, were moft likely to caufe obftruc- 
tions at the bottom of the ocean, and to form little banks 
of fand, that might afterwards be concreted; but they 
were mafles of loofe iron and ropes, and even of cannon 
balls, which were thus confolidated. 
The fame conclufion alfo may be drawn, with ftill 
more appearance of its being well founded, from a very 
remarkable piece of antiquity, which was difcovered 
about three years ago on the coaft of Kent. Some filher- 
men, fweeping for anchors in the Gull ftream (a part of 
6 the 
