140 
SURTUKIIHAND. 
wonderful region, and there entombed 
amidst thunderings, lightnings, lava and 
ashes. We extraet the follow ing descrip¬ 
tion from the well known Journal of Dr. 
Henderson. 
The bituminized wood is found in strata 
alternating with lava, basalt, tufa, and in¬ 
durated clay. 
The surturbrand is undermost, and oc¬ 
cupies four layers which are separated from 
each other by intermediate beds of soft 
sand-stone or clay. These layers are of 
unequal thickness, from a foot and a half to 
three feet, and run to the length of about 
thirty yards, when they disappear in the 
debris. They differ also in quality: the 
two low^est exhibiting the most perfect 
specimens of mineralized wood, free from 
all foreign admixture, of a jet black ; and 
such pieces as have been exposed to the sun 
shine with great lustre, and are very splin¬ 
tery in their fracture. The numerous knots, 
roots, &c., and the annual circles observa¬ 
ble in the ends of the trunks or branches, 
removed every doubt of the vegetable origin 
of this curious substance. The only changes 
