14 Address of the President. 



The trunk of the tree was uncovered until the root was 

 reached, spreading out upon a grey sandy subsoil. The tree, 

 a Scotch fir, had grown from this soil, and now stood in its 

 original position, the peat having formed around it. On the 

 north side, a little above the roots, it presented a charred 

 appearance, as if fire had been at one time applied, but this 

 apparent charring was the result of the peat surrounding the 

 tree, and a strong spring of water issuing near the roots 

 impregnated with iron. This spring came directly in contact 

 with the charred side of the tree, and was considered by 

 Professor Harkness to have produced that appearance. 



The depth of the peat surrounding the stem of the tree 

 was fourteen feet, and exhibited at the bottom a very compact 

 texture. It there contained the remains of jointed reed-like 

 plants, showing that in the early formation the place was 

 marshy. Among this compact peat seeds of plants were 

 abundant, with the remains of various insects. The latter 

 were so preserved as to enable us to distinguish the corslets 

 and wing-cases of carabidous species, and the wing-cases of a 

 species frequenting aquatic plants, Donacia, easUy recognised 

 by the beautiful sculpture upon them, here finely preserved. 



A closer examination of the wood of this tree has been 

 attended with considerable interest. To see the more exact 

 structure of the wood, I took some cuttings to Edinburgh to 

 have them polished. On handling and sawing it, I was 

 struck with the soapy or greasy feel, and the heat of the saw 

 dissolved what was then thought to be resin. But on subject- 

 ing the slices to a greater heat to dry them for polishing, a 

 considerable quantity of a dark oily matter exuded, more, 

 certainly, than could be accounted for by the presence of the 

 resin of the pine. Anxious to ascertain the true nature of 

 this, I sent a piece of the wood to Dr. Blyth, professor of 

 chemistry. Queen's College, Cork, and that gentleman has 

 kindly sent me the following valuable observations : — 



