106 
From these accounts, it appears that, near the city of Munden, 
and in that point of land which is washed by the rivers Werra and 
Fulda, as they unite to form one stream, several mountains succes- 
sively arise. On the top of one of the loftiest of these, which is 
about 1150 feet in height, is found a layer of mould of about a foot 
and a half, or two feet thick, under which is a stratum of yellowish 
clay, of two or three feet in thickness; and another, of a brown 
colour, considerably impregnated with alum and sulphur ; and 
beneath these so large a quantity of fossil wood, as would almost 
exceed the belief of any one who had not seen it. The professor 
himself at first doubted, whether it was really fossil wood or not ; 
but it was not long before he became fully convinced, that it was 
indubitably of vegetable origin : he discovering not only the longi- 
tudinal, but with a glass, even the transverse fibres ; and by a trans- 
verse fracture the marks of the wood’s annual increase. This wood 
existed almost entirely in small fragments, lying very compactly on 
each other ; each fragment being divided by numerous fissures, so as 
to render it difficult to form any opinion of the real size of the 
trunks, or branches, which they originally formed. Nor, during all 
the time which they had dug for this wood, had they ever met with 
any of length sufficient to show the branches ; neither had they dis- 
covered any leaves, or any fragment still retaining its circular form. 
The professor, however, saw a trunk with a portion of the roots still 
adhering, fully impregnated with pyrites. On another piece he 
observed the traces of leaves sufficiently evident. Frequently, he 
remarks, are pieces of wood found, not merely almost surrounded 
with pyrites, but so fully impregnated with them, that although the 
situation and form of the several parts of the wood are exactly pre- 
served, its conversion into pyrites appears to be entirely complete. 
Some of the specimens of this kind are described as being most 
elegant in their appearance, but unfortunately soon falling into 
pieces when exposed to the air; their surface first, as it were. 
