256

A DISCOURSE

book hi. an instance of a friend of mine, and a Member of this Society, of whichthe wood-monger has little cause to brag, since he never durst come athim, or challenge his money for the commodity he brought, because hedurst not stand to the measure.

At Hall, near Foy, there is a faggot which consists of but one piece ofwood, naturally grown in that form, with a band wrapped about it, andparted at the ends into four sticks, one of which is subdivided into twoothers: It was carefully preserved many years by an Earl of Devonshire,and looked on as portending the fate of his estate, which is since indeedcome into the hands of four Cornish Gentlemen, one of whose estates islikewise divided betwixt two heirs. This we have out of Camden, and Ihere note for the extravagancy of the thing ; though as to the verity of suchportents from trees, &c. I do not find upon inquiry (which I have dili-gently made of my Lord Brereton) that there is any certainty of the risingof those logs in the lake belonging to that noble person, so as still to pre-monish the death or the heir of that family, how confidently soever report-ed ; though sometimes it has happened, but the event is not constant. Tothis clafs may be referred what is affirmed concerning the fatal predictionof Oaks bearing strange leaves, which may be inquired of; and of acci-dents fasciating the boughs or branchesof trees, as noticed by Dr. Plott inWillows and other soft woods, especially in an Ash at Bifseter uniformlywreathed two or three times round: Such a curiosity also hangs up in thePortico of the Physic-Garden at Oxford, in a top branch of Holly, whichshows it likewise happening sometimes even to harder woods; and it isprobable that such as we sometimes find so helically twisted, have re-ceived some blast that has contracted the fibres, and curled them in thatextravagant manner. AVonderful contortion and perplexity of the partsof trees may be seen and admired in Taeda roots, especially in that givento the Royal Society by the Right Hon. the Lord Somer, (the late mostlearned president) and now amongst the natural rarities of the Repository.

I will now describe to you the mystery of Charring, (whereof somethingwas but touched in the procefs of extracting tar out of the Pines) as I re-ceived it from a most industrious person.

Of charcoal there is usually made three.sorts, viz. one for the Iron-works, a second for Gunpowder, and a third for London and Court , be-sides small-coals, of which we shall also speak in due place.