mited knowledge of Nature's Arcana, is convinced that "the Hand that made them is divine." But

how they were converted into a state, and removed to a situation so different to their primeval one, he knows not; while higher intelligences, though they may arrive at no certain conclusions, laudably exercise the faculties of Mind in endeavouring to account for such wonders in the creation.

-Organic Remains, decidedly of the vegetable kingdom, are frequently, in this neighbourhood, found in other mineral deposits. Beautiful impressions of Leaves, or rather the Leaves themselves, each specimen, with its correspondent matrix, or mould, is often found in small nodules of clay ironstone. Portions of jointed flat rushes, unknown in this climate, are likewise found; nay, entire Trees, equally of a foreign species, after sleeping for incalculable ages some fathoms beneath the earth's surface, and, during that protracted Night of Nature, these Trees, by a process, of which the wisest Philosopher is nearly as ignorant as the untutored Indian, are, "in Nature's Alembic turn'd to stone." Specimens of this sort are now before our eyes, removed from their ancient graves with the care almost of apotheoses, to the tutelary Gardens of Gentlemen who duly appreciate their worth; and whose delight it was to rescue such precious fragments of the Old World from the devouring Furnaces of the New.

The largest and most perfect of these three specimens, when discovered, was standing erect, as if still retaining its ancient Birth-right: and, what

must endear it to an Englishman, that specimen is an OAK:a Specimen, which, in its transformed more imperishable state, is, we trust, an Emblem of England's Constitution.-When it was discovered proudly standing, as it originally grew, it had all its ramifications and roots connected with it. These were unsusceptible of removal: but a portion of its prodigious Trunk, about a ton and a half weight, was removed by means of powerful machinery, long to stand as an honourable Monument of human perseverance and ability.*

In the vegetable kingdom, of course, every thing thus transmuted into stone is dead: while, in the animal kingdom, instances are known of life having been preserved, within a nucleus of petrified matter, throughout a duration of time, which baffles all calculation. At Newark in Nottinghamshire, a living toad was found in a large stone; and the fact attested by more than a hundred persons. In this immediate neighbourhood a more remarkable circumstance is said to have occurred, concerning which, the following document must speak for itself:

"We, William Mills, Senior, and John Fisher, both of the Parish of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, do hereby certify and declare That, a a few years ago, in working a certain Coal Pit, belonging to the Right Honourable Viscount Dudley and Ward, at what is called the Pieces, in

* This noble Fragment stands upon the Lawn of Michael Grazebrook Esq. at Audnam Bank.-The two other lesser ones occupy similar station under the care of J. T. Fereday, and F. Downing, Esqrs.

the Parish of Tipton aforesaid, and, on cleaving or breaking the stratum of Coal, called the Stone Coal, which is about four feet thick, and in that situation, lies about fifty yards from the earth's surface, we discovered a living Reptile, of the Snake or Adder kind, lying coiled up, imbedded in a small hollow cell, within the said solid Coal; which might be about 20 Tons in weight. The Reptile, when discovered visibly moved; and soon afterwards crept out of the hole; but did not live longer than ten minutes, on being exposed to the air; when it naturally died,—not having been at all wounded or hurt by cleaving of the Coal; whose thickness and solidity must have excluded it, before, from all air.-The hollow in which it lay, was split or cloven in two, by means of an iron wedge, and was rather moist at the bottom; but had no visible water. It was nearly the size of a common tea saucer: and the Reptile was about nine inches long,—of a darkish ashy colour, and a little speckled.- -After it was dead, it was thrown aside; and the large coal in which it lay, being broken to pieces, was drawn up out of the Pit, and disposed of in the usual way.

"In Testimony of these Facts, we have certified the same upon Oath, before the Rev. Dr. Booker, a Magistrate, this fifth day of March, 1814. Witness our hands,

In the Presence of
WILLIAM SUMMERS.

WILLIAM MILLS,

The Mark of
*

JOHN FISHER."

A Certificate of the present writer is subjoined to this Document; stating "That the Parties came voluntarily for the purpose of attesting upon oath, the Truth of the circumstance; and also that they were known to be persons of Credit and strict Veracity.". -On asking them, Why they deemed it expedient to come for that purpose, they said, "their Word had been doubted; but they believed their Oath would not: and as they knew that what they swore was true, it was their earnest wish to have such Oath administered."- A highly respectable Gentleman, now living, was present during the transaction, who bore testimony to the Goodness of their Characters, and affirmed that one of them was then a man of considerable property. The late Sir Joseph Bankes, Bart.

declared, "that if the statement were true, it recorded the most singular instance of the kind that had ever come to his knowledge:" and, perhaps, leaving this circumstance out of the question, as an isolated case, there never was a person, whom curiosity led to investigate the secrets of a Coal Mine, or take his solitary way, as the author has so frequently done, along the excavated parts of these Hills to examine those Monuments of "unchronicled ages," which are here so profusely scattered around him, who did not feel his mind irreristibly drawn to speculate on the times, and causes, which produced such wonderful transformations from life and activity, to stillness, petrifaction, and death. He sees beneath his feet innumerable Forms, now insensate, but once endued with feeling; which, in successive generations, must have had their birth, and enjoyed their life, in a different element; the element of water. When, moreover, he beholds the crystallized particles in some of the lower limestone, which prove that (at a past era inconceivably remote) what is now a solid substance, was once in a state of solution-all these things show that the Hills he traverses must have been submerged for a long period. It is easy to form an hypothesis, that will account for a few phenomena; but not so easy to furnish a theory competent to account for, and to reconcile circumstances which seem contradictory. It has been supposed that, at the deluge, the sea and the land changed situations; that vast continents, overwhelmed with the flood,

sunk and became the beds of new oceans; while, by the operation of some unknown force, the former beds of the sea were heaved up, and became new continents and islands. In this hypothesis the author coincides to a certain extent,—namely, that some parts of the ancient bed of Ocean were thus elevated, and became dry land; while, vice versa, some portions of ancient territory sunk, and became covered with the "mighty waters." Nor do such instances as the Kirkdale cave, &c. militate against this hypothesis. They only prove that those portions of territory, except being submerged by the deluge, remained unbroken. The bones of terrene animals, recently discovered in that cave, and so accurately identified by Professor Buckland, continued to occupy their native element; whereas the marine substances so profusely blended with Dudley lime-rock, were thrown, by the tremendous convulsions of Nature, at the Deluge, into new stations. Then, apparently, what were the deepest recesses of the sea, were so elevated as to become and remain the highest parts of dry land. The water that had previously covered them, would rapidly roll down their gulphy sides into the new bed, which the Almighty had appointed; and all the swift finny tribe would escape with it: while such loco-motive animals as the Dudley Pediculus would be imprisoned in the chaotic mass thus raised to a new station. Hence, of the former kind, fossilized in these rocks, are found none. Here only are seen the petrified remains of what once, though possessing animal life,