From the first one:
Another challenge for me, I am afraid:
my transliteration goes-
»
present shape and from (form) had been given before the petrification had taken place
and it is difficult to conceive how much (such) a number so much resembling each
other should have been obtained by chance from the River, and yet this must
have been the case, for we know of no Process exept that effected through
the Agency of water by which this conversion of wood into stone scites
bear the first impression left upon the mind in viewing the etope (stone?) certainly
is that the change has occured Since the blocks were fixed in their present
position, but it is impossible to believe it.- the view of the surrounding Country
In the difficult section, "this conversion of wood into stone" and "the first impression left upon the mind" are both the subjects of their clauses, and they make so little sense as written that I almost wonder if a line has been missed out in the copying. But alternatively:
"scites" - I've no idea. My first thought was that it's a noun attached to 'stone', but I can make a bit more sense of what follows if it's a verb meaning 'occur' or 'take place' - but I still don't know what. (I note Molly's suggestion - but if it is that, the clause needs a verb, hence missing line?)
"bear" - I can make better sense of what follows if it's "hear", but as a misspelling of "here".
"etope" - I think it ends with 's' rather than 'e', and I wonder if the whole word could be 'stops'. How would that fit the context? What exactly is it that's in the water getting turned to stone?
In the second one:
... Coarse grit thickly interspused (interspersed) with quartose (quartzose) pelibbs (pebbles) ?? the ex-
tra soil and I saw Nothing in the Course of my short walk denoting
volcanic Agency. Just before I set out the Tazee of Shombegnew arrived in
«
I think the missing word is in the vicinity of »constitutes« or »comprises« but I am not very sure.
You could well be right with 'pebbles' - confusion of 'b' and 'le' and vice versa.
The missing word looks like 'commotions', which can't really be correct. A verb is needed, and I agree with you on the kind of meaning it should have, but can't think of anything better.