^ A /T < ü R A.L'.H I S T O R Y of N O R T V A Y . 55
I impute., to the long confinement of the air. In my Uttle col*
lediqn of northern and other natural curiofrties I have feveral.
fuch pet rifi'ed, pieces/ which exhibit folidum in fblido, and other
indicatiohs ‘ hidden induration of thcfe formerly fluid fub-
ftancesi by which fifhès,Wétos;‘ftiakes/and other creatures have
beemmclofed*1 in ftofies,*' as Wt meet wifh infe<Ës*and thè'Iifeë in
amber '
Inftead ofHwcliing on thefe things I fhall corroborate the matter
by la «firfjfettüfe'bf friy owh/relâtiiig to* three Cavîtfesdri a rockin
■-flihfdil|t|p-bf Rake, three quarters of a^Nqrway mile from Fre*
aeficfhall, Thefë cavities at tHfeif entrance a tè round, and each not
aboyé twb ells iri -ckchmference. Two of them are riot very deep,
andLfo*afe ric^pârtièùîafly ferilarkable/as they might have been
forined’By hdihMh’nands with inftrumentâ ; but the thirdcâ^ty,' oîi
that account, deferves the more admiration from the curious; fear
tho'%ot wider than the other two, and:fo finooth and regular, that
f t 'might be miftakertTor- -W work o f arr3 y e t it would be abfurd
to'füppofè tM£ oh-accduh’e'ofiits'unfathomable depth; for when
in* order to form a computatiori'of it'/ a finall ftone is dropped
d©$n, the 'ecHq^does not in fefs than two, minutes, give any
roëm’ to:conclude..that the ftone he* reached die/bottom; and
the-found it returns is' qtfite melodious and pleafânt, not unlike
that of à bell. This profound câvîtyj* which is too narmiy t y rql
ceive a. human-body, much lèfs to allow room for .the motion of
the hands, could not therefdré p«ffi'k^Ékçè>i»ëÉi'<ÉS^'ori' bored
by 'human art,"f coftfrqufently it mull be of equal date with the
world ftfelf; or, which indeed is moft probable,, it was formed bÿ the
deluge, and poflibly in this manner ; the fubftance o f the rocks
being-'fiippofed foft and impreffible like a pafte, a roiind ftone,
prevfoufly indurated, might fall« on: it from foxnr eminence, and
by its own Weight force a pafTage quite through. And if the
trço other cavities, which are not very deep, proceeded from a
imilar caufe, the ftones j which fell in there muft have been
lighter, or have met with a more infpiffated or harder matter. !
* I am not little pleafed’éhàt
ous bodies in marble and chalk. Natural Hift. Tom. I. Art. vjna.nd other adventiti-
CL
Part I.
S E C T .