MEETING OP THE BRITISH AS80CIATIQN. 117 



riety of experiments ; Professor Kane a paper upon a singular phe- 

 nomenon of flame arising from coal gas ; and Mr. Ettrick exhi- 

 bited a plan of a new safety lamp. 



Section C. — Geology and Geography. — Mr. Griffiths presided at 

 the opening of the section, but having to exhibit his own geographi- 

 cal map of Ireland, he resigned the chair to Professor Sedgwick. 

 This splendid map, the result of many years' laborious research, was 

 produced, and its general correctness much lauded. Professor Bryce, 

 of Belfast, remarked on the formation of gravel hills, in the north- 

 ern counties of Ireland; and Professor Sedgwick, of Cambridge, 

 entered minutely into the geological history of several counties in 

 England, occasionally referring to the observations of Mr. Griffiths, 

 to shew the analogy which was evident between the strata of these 

 counties and diffiirent parts of Ireland. The learned Professor here 

 gave an eloquent description of the pursuits which lead the geolo- 

 gist into the wildest and most beautiful scenes of nature, wherein 

 he is continually called to contemplate, in the existing face of na- 

 ture, the terrible convulsions which gave birth to all the beauty he 

 beholds ; or of those awful catastrophes which, devastating all that 

 is lovely within their reach, prepare, by present ruin, new modifi- 

 cations of the sublime or beautiful for the wonder and instruction 

 of remote posterities. 



Section D. — Zoology and Boiaiiy. — Dr. Allman in the Chair. — 

 A paper on the natural arrangement of plants was read by Mr. 

 Nevin, who presented some specimens of new plants found on the 

 western coast of England. — The Orchis pyramidalis was found by 

 Dr. Graham at Galloway. Dr. Knapp also found it growing in Fife. 

 — Mr. Babington said, three of the Ranunculus tribe were commonly 

 confounded under one — the aquatilis, palustris, and sceleratus. — ]Mr. 

 Babington also informed the section that Reichenbach distinguished 

 three distinct species, under the head orchis bijolia, two of them na- 

 tives of Great Britain ; they were chiefly distinguishable by the 

 form of the anthers, one being more round, the other longitudinal. 

 Doctor Drummond stated the common Gordius to be vivaparous ; 

 when put into the same vessel of water with a common newt, the 

 animal became alarmed, and in a short time the Gordius twined 

 round it and killed it. — A communication was read from Mr. Ha- 

 milton, of Mexico, offering his services to the British Association, in 

 forwarding seeds and plants, and describing some new plants of that 

 country, one a species of Solanum. The amaryllis was stated to be an 

 agave. — Dr. Coulter doubted this, and took occasion to inform the 

 meeting of a plant, a species of Veratrum, not the Veratrum sabadiL 

 la of the shops, a portion of which was taken medicinally by a per- 

 son labouring under dyspepsia, so that he could make use of no food, 

 and having at the time to ride thirty miles a day. After the second 

 dose his appetite returned. Dr. Coulter only saw the root and was 

 thus enabled to pronounce the plant not to be the Veratrum sabadiL 

 la. It is called by the natives the Indian's root. 



Section E. — Anatomy and Medicine. — ^Dr. Abraham Colles in 



