Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 155 



as large fragments of fossil wood. Very many of the specimens 

 were sliced, and being reduced to very thin transparent sections, 

 were examined with the view of determining the botanical character 

 of their contents, and the intimate structure of the masses of more or 

 less homogeneous aspect to which they were reduced by decompo- 

 sition, previous to or during the operation of calcification. The re- 

 sults were very satisfactory, and seemed to indicate that all traces of 

 vegetable structure may be completely obliterated in the substance 

 of highly bituminized coal, which may nevertheless also contain frag- 

 ments of wood with their tissues preserved. 



An account is then given of the examination of the details of 

 structure of Trigonocarpon, and this, as well as the comparison of 

 Trigonocarpon with the modern genus Salishuria, is illustrated by 

 drawings and analyses. 



The authors are still engaged with the study of these nodules, 

 with the view of showing the relationship between Calamodendron, 

 Calamites, Sigillaria and Anabothra, and the details are preparing for 

 publication. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



December 14, 1854. — Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. 



The Secretary was directed to enter upon the minutes, an expres- 

 sion of the Society's sense of the great loss which science had sus- 

 tained in the sudden and unexpected death of Professor Edward 

 Forbes, and of their sympathy with his family in the bereavement. 



Office-bearers for the ensuing year were elected, as follows : — 



President. — Professor Balfour. 



Vice-Presidents. — Dr. Seller ; Henry Paul, Esq. ; James Cunning- 

 ham, Esq. ; Charles Jenner, Esq. 



Council. — James M*Nab, Esq. ; Dr. Priestley ; Dr. W. H. Lowe ; 

 Professor Blackie ; William Ivory, Esq. ; G. R. Tate, Esq., Professor 

 Fleming ; Professor Simpson ; John Lowe, Esq. ; Robert Daw, Esq. 



Honorary Secretary : Dr. Greville. — Foreign Secretary : Dr. 

 Douglas Maclagan. — Auditor: William Brand, Esq. — Treasurer: 

 Wilham W. Evans, Esq. — Curator of Museum : George S. Blackie, 

 Esq. — Artist: Neil Stewart, Esq. — Assistant- Secretary and Curator: 

 Mr. G. Lawson. 



Dr. Balfour read an extract from a letter he had received from 

 Dr. W. A. White, Assistant Surgeon 47th Regiment, dated "Camp 

 before Sebastopol, Nov. 17, 1854," accompanying seeds of a superior 

 melon he had gathered in the orchards on the banks of the Katscha. 

 " All who visited those orchards were surprised at the extraordinary 

 abundance and variety of the fruit-trees. Very many different varie- 

 ties of the apple and pear, peaches, apricots, nectarines, quinces, 

 the plum, the cherry, the walnut, the almond, the fig, were growing 

 in the greatest profusion within the space of an acre, whilst the sur- 

 rounding vineyards were laden with the finest grapes. Vegetables 

 too were in great abundance, the enormous size of which excited our 

 surprise, considering the little apparent amount of labour expended 



