Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1837-08-01

NATURAL PRoDUcTIoNs.-Some stones are pre-.
served by the curious, for representing distinctly
figures traced by nature alone, and without the aid
Of art.
Pliny mentions an agate in which appeared, form
ed by the hand of nature, Apollo amidst the nine Mu-
SEES holding harp. Malous assures u.s. that at We
nice another is seen, in which is naturally formed the
perfect figure of man. At Pisa in the church of ST.
John, there is similar natural production, which re-
presents old hermit in desert seated by the side
Of strenm and who holds in his hands a small
bell, as 81. Anthony Is commonly painted. In the
temple of st. Sophia, al Constantinope, there was
formerly on white marble the image of St John
the Baptist covered with The skin o. a camel with
this only imperfection that nature had gwen but one
leg. AT Ravenna, in the church of ST. Vital, corde
ler is seen on dusky stone. They found in Italy
MARBLE in which a crucifx was eaboraiey finish
ed that there appeared the nails, the drops Of blood
and the wounds, as perfectly as the most excsllcat
painter could have performed At Sneilburg in Ger
many, they found in a mine n certain rough metal
on which seen the figure of a man, who carried
chill on his back. In Provence they found in a
mine, quantity of natural figures of birds, trees rats,
and serpents and IN some places OF the western
parts of Tarary are seen on divers rocks The figures
OF cames, horses, and sheep. Pancirellus, in his
Lost Antiquities, atests, that IN a church at Rome
marble perfectly represented priest celebrating
mass, and raising the host. Paul Ill. conceivinc
that art had been used, scraped the marble to dis
cover whether any painting had been employed !;
but nothing of the kind was discovered. / have
seen,' writes friend, many of these curiosities-
They are Arrays helped out by art. In my father
house was gray marble chimney piece, which
abounded in portraits, landscapes &C. the greatest
part of which was made by myself The Rev. Ste
phen Weston possesses n very large collection ma
ny certainly untouched by art. One stone appea s
like perfect cameo of a Mnervas head another
shows an old mans head, beautiful as if the hand
of Raphael had designed il. Both these stones are
transparent. Some exhibit portraits.
There is preserved in the British Museum black
stone on which nature has sketched resemblance
of the portrait Of Chaucer Stones Of this kind pos
sessng sufficient degree of resemblance are rare
but ART appears not TO have been used. Even in
plants, find this sort of resemblance. There is a
species Of the orchs found in the mountainous parts
of Lincolnshire, Kent, DC. Nature has formed O
bee apparently feeding in the breast of the flo wer
with so much exactness, that IL is impossible ut
very small distance to distinguish the imposition
Hence the plant derives its name, and is called tho
Bee: foper. Langhorne elegantly notices It's appear
ance:-
See on that nowrets velvet breast,
How close the busy vagrsn lies
his hlnwrought plume, his downy breast,
TIL ambrosisl gold that swes his thighs
Perhaps his fragrant load may bisd
His limbs well set the captive free
sought the living bee find,