12 Address of the President. 



to, aroong phsenogamous plants, p^antago maritima was 

 observed on Deeside ; by the loch, Sparganum simplex and 

 ramosum, and Bidens ccrnua were gathered. Dr. Gilchrist 

 reported Potamogcton crispurii and hderopthylhtni. 



The last excursion for the summer session had been fixed 

 to meet at Ecclefechan, to examine the Eoman encampment 

 at Birrens Werk, but from unfavourable weather and other 

 circumstances this did not take place. 



At different times excursions have been made by Members 

 of the Society independently of the fixed monthly meetings, 

 and the information then acquired may very properly be in- 

 corporated among the work of the year. 



It had been reported that some stone coffins had been 

 discovered near Newby, in the vicinity of Annan, and on the 

 8th July a small party made arrangements to proceed thither 

 and ascertain the truth of the report. On reaching Newby 

 they ascertained that, although two stone coffins were to be 

 seen, they had been known to the tenant, Mr. Beatie, and 

 others, for some years. One of the coffins was placed in a 

 mound of drift, a short distance from the farm-house. A 

 workman stated that it had been opened about ten years 

 since by some idle persons, probably in expectation of finding 

 concealed treasure, and the stone slab or covering had been 

 replaced immediately afterwards, and had not been disturbed 

 since. Upon again removing the covering, and digging amongst 

 the mould and rubbish which had been thrown in, a number of 

 fragments of an ancient urn were found, which, when pieced 

 together, indicated plainly that it was rudely fashioned, as if 

 by the hand, and was marked with the herring-bone pattern 

 of ornamentation. Some small fragments of bone were also 

 found. The coffin itself was formed of unhewn slabs of 





