The Obfervations I fpeak of were all made in England, the far greatest Part whereof I travell'd over on purpofe to make them; profeffedly fearching all Places as I pafs'd along, and taking a careful and exact View of Things on all Hands as they prefented; in order to inform my felf of the prefent Condition of the Earth, and all Bodyes contain'd in it, as far as either Grotto's, or other Natural Caverns, or Mines, Quarries, Colepits, and the like, let me into it, and difplayed to Sight the interiour Parts of it. Nor, in the mean Time, did I neglect the exteriour or Surface and fuch Productions of it as any where occurr'd, Plants, Infects, Sea, River, and Land Shells: and, in a Word, whatever either the Vegetable or Animal World afforded.

Neither did I confine thefe Obfervations to Land, or the Terreftrial Parts of the Globe only, but extended them to the Fluids of it likewife, as well thofe within it, the Water of Mines, of Grotto's, and other fuch like Receffes, as thofe upon the Surface of it, the Sea, Rivers, and Springs,

My

My principal Intention indeed was to get as compleat and fatisfactory Information of the whole Mineral Kingdom as I poffibly could. To which End I made ftrict Enquiry wherever I came, and laid out for Intelligence of all Places where the Entrails of the Earth were laid open, either by Nature, (if I may fo fay) or by Art, and humane Induftry. And wherefoever I had Notice of any confiderable natural Spelunca or Grotte any finking of Wellsor digging for Earths, Clays, Marle, Sand, Gravel, Chalk, Cole, Stone, Marble, Ores of Metalls, or the like, I forthwith had recourfe thereunto where taking a juft Account of every obfervable Circumftance of the Earth, Stone, Metall, or other Matter, from the Surface quite down to the Bottom of the Pit, I enter'd it carefully into a fournal, which I carry'd along with me for that Purpose. And fo paffing on from Place to Place, I noted whatever I found memorable in each particular Pit, Quarry, or Mine: and 'tis out of thele Notes that my Obfervations are compil'd.

After

After I had finish'd these Obfervations, and was returned back to this City, fuch were the Commotions which then fo unhappily disturbed all Europe, that I faw I muft neceffarily defift here, and fit down (for the prefent at leaft) with what I had already done; having little Profpect of an Opportunity of carrying on thefe Obfervations any farther, or of going beyond Seas, to confider the State of the Earth, and of all Sorts of Foffils, in more diftant Countries.

But to fupply, as far as poffible, that Defect, I made Application to Perfons who had already travelled, and I knew were of fuch Integrity, that they would not impofe uncertain or falfe Relations upon me: as alfo of fo much Curiofity as to be likely to give me fome tolerable Infight into the Condition of thefe Things in Foreign Regions. I likewife drew up a Lift of Quaries upon this Subject, which I difpatch'd into all Parts of the World, far and hear, wherever either I my felf, or any of my Acquaintance, had any Friend

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Friend refident to tranfinitt those Quaries unto.

The Refult was, that in time I was abundantly affured, that the Circumstances of thefe Things in remoter Countries were much the fame with thofe of ours here: that the Stone, and other terreftrial Matter, in France, Flanders, Holland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, was diftinguifh'd into Strata, or Layers, as it is in England that thofe Strata were divided by parallel Fiffures: that there were enclofed in the Stone, and all the other denfer kinds of terreftrial Matter, great Numbers of Shells, and other Productions of the Sea; in the fame Manner as in that of this Ifland. To be fhort, by the fame Means I got fufficient Intelligence that these Things were found in like Manner in Barbary, in Egypt, in Guiney, and other Parts of Africa: in Arabia, Syria, Perfia, Malabar, China, and other Afiatick Provinces: in Jamaica, Barbadoes, Virginia, New-England, Brafil, Peru, and other Parts of America. But I referve the more

particular

particular Relation hereof to its proper Place.

So that though my own Obfervations were confined to England, yet by this Means I was made acquainted with the State of thefe Bodies in other Countries; even in almoft all Parts of the World wherewith the English maintain any Commerce or Correfpondence and learn'd, from all Hands, that the State of them there was conformable to that of ours here, in the main, and as far as I fhall lay any Stress upon in my Conclufions; which indeed are not built upon any Niceties, or folitary and uncommon Appearances, but on the most fimple and obvious Circumftances of thefe terreftrial Bodies.

it

As to the Certainty and Accuratenefs of my Obfervations, thus much may modeftly and very truly be faid, that I do not offer any one before I had firft thoroughly and clearly informed my felf in all material Circumftances of it: and had Opportunity of obferving it in more Places than one, that I might be fatisfy'd there was nothing cafual or contingent

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