Obscrvatmis on the Fossil Trees of Van Dkmafis Ixijul. Uy 



William Nk ol, V.s(\. Lecturer on Natural Philosophy ♦. 



Dkak Sik, r«Mlirf«fte. 



Jln compliance with your request, I now give you the result 

 of the examination I have made of the specimens of fossil 

 wood you have lately received from your friend Colonel Lind- 

 say, at present in New Holland -f-. 



Thin transverse sections of each were formed on the method I 

 Iiave adopted, and which I have described minutely in a work 

 lately pubUshed byMrWitham on the Structure of Fossil Wood. 

 On viewing these sections, by help of a microscope, or even a 

 conmion pocket lens, it is suiliciently obvious that five of the 

 specimens belong to the family of Conif(erae, and two to the tribe 

 of true Dicotyledons. Four of the coniferce are common wood- 

 stone, the fifth is wood-o|>ai. One of the dicotyledonous sj^eci- 

 rhens is wood-stbnc, and shews the organic structure through- 

 out tlie whole mass ; but the other specimen, which is in the 

 state of opal, shews the organic structure only in certain parts 

 of the mass. In such parts, there is a pecuharity which 1 do 

 not recollect to have seen in any other specimen of petrified 

 wood ; and which is, that tHe pore$ or vessels, instead of being 

 filled with petrifying matter, are perfectly empty. Throughout 

 tlie greatest part of iiiis magnificent specimen, the vascular struc- 



• Uciul to the AVeriieriau Society, .illi ;Maivh 1831. 



■f In oxaminint,' the structure of pctriliel 

 to shew it cUhor I y simp!}' cuttinp^and polisl. ^r 



it by n i ittinj^ tliin slices, and o\;uninin<r them by trans- 



niiKivl . Iihouffh the l)est mode, lias hitherto atii)i<h.d less 



. I ban il ou^ot {o !i:ivo i\ono, owing to the ion of 



lnc cuLLUii^' aim polisliilli^ pr'oiL-.>s. ^li" Nicol, after much labutu. iiosBUOOMNl- 



eii in so perfecting this process, as to enable us by it to shew, in cn^^H^puiC 

 and beautiful manner, the most niinuti' - " reMlt 



vegetables. The plates in Mr Witham iffttft 



may be effected by this process. We doubt not ti - g«iiendljr 



used by botanists in their examination of the stnu i . i woiods ;'for, 



as well remarked by Mr Nicol, this structure may allord means of arrangemenC 

 of plants hitherto but little attended to. We have alw»v« mASnta 

 the intenial structure of plants mi|{ht, to a certain ex,t<. ^^,^ 



of scientific arrangeuieut of the -groups of the * ' ' mh; — HbtT. 



JANUARY — MAiicU 1831. ' A a 



