(3), lying under that upper Stratum, or Tegument of the Earth laft fpoken of, all of prodigious Ufe to Mankind: Some being of great Ufe for Building; fome

the best Iron, and moft in Quantity, that is found there, is in the old Cinders, which they melt over again. This the Author of the Additions to Glocestershire, in Cambd-Brit. of the last Edition, pag. 245. attributes to the remiffness of the former Melters, in not exhaufting the Ore: But in all probability it is rather to be attributed to the new Impregnations of the old Ore, or Cinders, from the Air, or from fome feminal Principle, or plastick Quality in the Ore it felf.

(3) As for the Growth of Stone, Mr. Boyl gives two Inftances. One is that famous place in France, called Les Caves Goutieres : where the Water falling from the upper Parts of the Cave to the Ground, doth prefently there condenfe into little Stones, of such Figuves as the Drops falling either feverally, or upon one another, and congulating prefently into Stones, chance to exhibit. Vid. Scept. Chym. pag. 360.

Such like Caves as thefe, I have my felf met with in England particularly on the very Top of Bredon-Hill in Worcestershire, near the Precipice, facing Pershore, in or near the old Fortrefs, called Bemsbury Camp, I faw fome Years ago fuch a Cave, which (if I mifremember not) was lined with thofe Stalactical-Stones, on the Top and Sides On the Top, they hung like Icicles great and fmall, and many lay on the Ground. They feemed maniteftly to be made by an Exfudation, or Exftillation of fome petrifying Juices out of the rocky Earth there. On the spot, I thought it might be from the Rains foaking through, and carrying with it Impregnations from the Stone, the Hill being there all Rocky. Hard by the Cave is one or more vaft Stones, which (if I mistake not) are incruftated with this Sparry, Stalactical Subftance, if not wholly made of it. But it is fo many Years ago fince I was at the place, and not being able to find my Notes about it, I cannot fay, whether the whole Stone is (in all probability) Spar, (as I think it is,) or whether I found it only cafed over with it, notwithstanding I was very nice in examining it then, and have now fome of the Fragments by me, confifting, among other fhining Parts, of fome tranfparent angular Ones.

The other Inftance of Mr. Boyl, is from Linschoten, who faith, that in the East-Indies, when they have cleared the Diamond Mines of all the Diamonds; In a few Years time they find in the fame place new Diamonds produced. Boyl. Ibid.

fome ferving for Ornament; fome furnishing us I with commodious Machines, and Tools to prepare our Food, and for Veffels and Utenfils, and for multitudes of other Ufes; fome ferving for Firing to drefs our Food, and to guard us againft the infults of Gold, and Weather; fome being of great Ule in Phyfick, in Exchange and Commerce, in Manuring and Fertilizing our Lands, in Dying and Colouring, and ten Thoufand other Conveni ences, too many to be particularly fpoken of: Only there is one grand Ufe of one of thefe Strata or Beds, that cannot eafily be omitted, and that is thofe fubterraneous Strata of Sand, Gravel, and laxer Earth that admit of, and facilitate the paffage of the fweet Waters (4), and may probably be the Colanders whereby they are fweetened, and then at

the

(4) It is not only agreeable to Reafon, but I am told by Perfons converfant in digging of Wells throughout this County of Effex, where I live, that the fureft Beds in which they find Water, are Gravel, and a coarfe dark coloured Sand; which Beds feldom fail to yield plenty of fweet Water: But for Clay, they never find Water therein, if it be a ftrong, ftiff Clay; but if it be lax and fandy, fometimes Springs are found in it; but fo weak, that they will scarcely ferve the Ufes of the smallest Family. And fometimes they meet with thofe Beds lying next under a loose black Mould, (which, by their Defcription, I judged to be a fort of oazy, or to have the refemblance of an ancient rufhy Ground,) and in that cafe the Water is always naught and ftinks. And laftly; another fort of Bed they find in Effex, in the claiey Lands, particularly that part called the Rodings, which yields plenty of fweet Water, and that is a Bed of white Earth, as though made of Chalk and white Sand. This they find, after they have dug through forty or more Feet of Clay and it is fo tender and moift, that it will not lie upon the Spade, but they are forced to throw it into their Bucket with their Hands, or with Bowls, but when it comes up into the Air, it foon becomes

an hard white Stone.

Thus much for the variety of Beds wherein the Waters are found. That it is in thefe Beds only, or chiefly the Springs run, is farther manifeft from the forcible Eruption of the Wa

F

ters

the fame time alfo conveyed to all Parts of the habitable World, not only through the temperate and torrid Zones, but even the fartheft Regions of the frozen Poles.

That thefe Strata are the principal Paffages of the fweet, fountain Waters, is, I think, not to be doubted, confidering that in them the Waters are well known to pafs, and in them the Springs are found by thofe that feek for them. I fay, the principal Paffages, because there are other Subterraneous Guts and Channels, Fiffures and Paffages, through which many times the Waters make their way.

Now that which in a particular manner doth feem to me to manifeft a fpecial Providence of God in the repofiting thefe watery Beds is, that they fhould be difperfed all the World over, into all Countries, and almost all Tracts of Land: That they should fo entirely, or for the moft part, confift of lax, incohæring Earth, and be fo feldom blended with other impervious Moulds, and that often, but acci dentally: And that they are interpofed between the other impervious Beds, and fo are as a Prop and Pillar to guard them off, and to prevent their finking in, and fhutting up the Paffages of the

Waters.

The time when thofe Strata were laid, was doubtJefs at the Creation, when God faid, (Gen. 1. 9.) let the Waters under the Heaven be gathered together anto one place, and let the dry Land appear; or elfe at the Deluge, if, with fome fagacious Naturalifts,

We

ters fometimes out of thofe watery Beds. Of which fee Chap. 4. Note 10. This Eruption fhews, that the Waters come from fome Eminence or other, lying at a distance, and being closely pent up within the watery Stratum, by the claiey Strata, the Waters with force mount up, when the Strata above are opened.

we fuppofe the Globe of Earth to have been diffolved by the Flood (5). At that time (whatever it was) when the Terraqueous Globe was in a chaotick State, and the earthy Particles fubfided, then those feveral Beds were in all probability repofited in the Earth, in that commodious Order in which they now are found; and that, as is afferted, according to the Laws (6) of Gravity.

СНАР.

(5) V. Dr. Woodward's Effay, Part 2.

(6) Id. Ib. pag. 28, and pag. 14. But Dr. Leigh in his Nat. Hiftory of Lancashire, fpeaking of the Coal-pits, denies the Strata to lie according to the Laws of Gravitation, faying, the Strata are a Bed of Marle, afterwards Free-Stone, next Iron-Stone, then Coal, or Kennel-Mine, than fome other Strata, and again Coal, &c.

But upon a ftricter enquiry into the matter, finding I had reafon to fufpect that few, if any, actually had tried the Experi ment, I was minded to bring the thing to the Teft of Experi ment my felf; and having an opportunity, on April. 11. 1712. I caufed divers places to be bored, laying the feveral Strata by themselves; which afterwards I weighed with all ftrictness, first in Air, then in Water, taking care that no Air-bubbles, &c. might obstruct the accuracy of the Experiment. The refult was, that in my Yard, the Strata were gradually fpecifically heavier and heavier, the lower and lower they went; and the upper which was Clay, was confiderably fpecifically lighter than the lower Stratum; which was firft a loofe Sand, then a Gravel. In which Stratum principally the Springs run that fupply my Well.

But in my Fields, where three places were bored (to no great Depth) I found below the upper, fuperficial Stratum, a deep Bed of Sand only, which was of different Colours and Confift ence, which I weighed as before, together with the Virgin mold, But they were all of the fame, or nearly the fame fpecifick Gravity, both out of the fame Hole, and out of different Holes, although the Sand was at lait fo gravelly, that hindered our boring any deeper.

Upon this, fearing left fome errour might be in the former Experiments, I tried them over again; and that with the fame Sucsefs.

After

CHA P. III.

Of the Subterraneous Caverns, and the Vul

cano's.

Shall take notice of the Subterraneous Caverns, Grotto's, and Vulcano's, because they are made an Objection (1) against the prefent Contrivance and Structure of the Globe. But, if well confidered, they will be found to be wife Contrivances of the Creator, ferving great Ufes of the Globe, and Ends of God's Government. Befides many fecret grand Functions and Operations of Nature in the Bowels of the Earth, that in all probability thefe things may minifter unto, they are of great Ufe to the Countries where they are (2). To inftance in the very worst of all the things named, viz. the Vulcano's

After this, I made fome Experiments in fome deep ChalkPits, with the Flints, Chalk, c. above and below; but the Succefs was not fo uniform as before.

Acquainting our juftly renowned R. S. with thefe Experi ments, they ordered their Operator to experiment the Strata of a Coal-Pit; the Succefs whereof may be feen in Philos. Tranf. Nr. 336.

(1) Nemo dixerit terram pulchriorem effe quod cavernofa fit, quod dehifcat in multis locis, quòd disrupta caveis & fpaciis inanibus; iifque nullo ordine difpofitis, nullâ formâ: nec que aliud contineant quam tenebras & fordes; unde graves & peftiferæ exhalationes, terra motus, &c. Burnet ubi fupr. c. 7.

(2) The Zirchnitzer Sea in Carniola, is of great Ufe to the Inhabitants of that Country, by affording them Fish, Fowls, Fodder, Seeds, Deer, Swine and other Beafts, Carriage for their Goods,

c. Vid. Phil. Trans. Nr. 191, &c. or Lowth. bridg. Vol. 2. p. 306, &c. where you have put together into one View, what is difperfed in divers of the Tranfactions. This Sea or Lake proceeds from fome Subterraneous Grotto, or Lake, as is made highly probable by Mr. Valvafor. Ibid.

The