128 lAnnean Society. \.^V^' ^^3 



rock, and which piece I found lying at the foot of the other, and 

 also having an indented impression, but not so distinct, at least only 

 in parts. I have been unable to meet vpith any geologist here who 

 can explain it, or give cay history of the formation in which it is 

 found. Some have pretended to know something about it, but their 

 opinions differ considerably. Some say the plant has grown there 

 since the rock was found ; others that it is a Zoophyte, and not a 

 plant at all ; while one man, a German, says that it was imprinted 

 in the rock whilst soft, and has been subsequently hardened by 

 great heat, as the crystals show. I think he is nearer the mark. 

 The place in which it was found is most wild-looking. It is a 

 mountain pass ; so you would call it in England ; we call it a Kloof. 

 This pass runs through a low range of mountains, the end as it were 

 of the great range which begins near Cape Town, but separated 

 from that by the river Zondereuch. Curiously enough, although it 

 appears to be a continuation of the great range, its structure is 

 totally different in appearance. The whole mountain seems to have 

 been broken up into huge blocks of rock, but yet preserving a strati- 

 fied appearance, more regular in some parts than in others. In some 

 places, too, the strata are horizontal, in others inclined at an angle 

 of 20 degrees. All the rocks are more or less crystallized, and nearly 

 all have the traces of vegetable remains (sea-weeds, as I think) upon 

 them. I walked over the mountain, or rather climbed amongst the 

 rocks, crowbar in hand, and found many similarly marked ; not, I 

 mean, with the same plant, but in the same sort of way as the one 

 sent. Mr. Vigne showed me a stone that be had found on the 

 mountain behind his house ; there was an appearance of a fossil 

 plant, very much resembling the one I sent you ; but the plant itself 

 was there changed into stone or coal quite black ; but instead of 

 being an impression, it might be called a basso relievo. The stone 

 was quite different, being a dark-coloured sandstone, and not at all 

 crystallized." 



It appeared to be the prevalent opinion of the members present 

 that this remarkable impression was the result of dendritic crystal- 

 lization. 



The President exhibited specimens of the three known species of 

 Rafflesia (R. Arnoldi, R. Patma, and R. Cumingii), particularly with 

 the view of showing that they are all three dioicous. 



