59 



de Bruxelles, et Ed. Smits, Directeur dii Bureau de Statistique. 



— From the. Authors. 

 Recherches sur les Degres successifs de Force Magnetique qu'une 



Aiguille d'Acier re9oit pendant les Frictions multiples qui ser- 



vent a I'aimanter. Par ]\I. Quetelet. — From the Author. 

 Astronomische Nachrichten. Nos. 251-257- — From Professor 



Schumacher. 

 Essai sur quelques Zodaiques apportes des Indes. Par M. de 



Paravey. 

 Etudes sur I'Archeologie. Par M. de Paravey. — From the Author. 

 Planum et Statuta Societatis Eruditae Hungaricffi. 

 Annalium Societatis Eruditas Hungaricae volumen primum. — 



From the Hungarian Literary Society. 

 The Second Fasciculus of Anatomical Drawings, selected from the 



collection of Morbid Anatomy in the Army Medical Museum 



at Chatham. — From Sir James Macgrigor, Bart. 



The following communications were read : — 



1, Remarks on the Remains of an Oak dug from a Peat-moss 

 near Lanfyne, Ayrshire. By Thomas Brown, Esq. 



The oak described in this paper is believed by the author to have 

 fallen into a small isolated lake, which had been subsequently filled 

 up by the growth of aquatic plants, so as to form a peat-moss, in 

 which the upper part of the tree has been completely preserved, \vith 

 its bark entire. The tree had grown 500 feet above the level of the 

 sea. The trunk was 48^ feet long, without any appearance of root. 

 As it must therefore have been actually even longer, and the remains 

 of other oaks were found near, it must have grown in a wood, pro- 

 bably forming a part of that division of the Caledonian forest, which, 

 previous to the 14th century, covered Avondale and the upper part 

 of Ayrshire. It must have contained 534 feet of measurable timber. 

 The author conjectures, that the destruction of the forest commenced 

 during the wars of the succession about the year 1300, and the con- 

 tests between Edward I. and II. and Baliol and Bruce; for a num- 

 ber of silver pennies of the two Edwards had been found in the neigh- 

 l)ourhood, but no coins of a later date. It is probable that these had 

 been deposited by English soldiers soon before the battle of Ban- 

 nockburn in 1314. 



The author annexed some remarks on the remains of an undescrib- 

 ed Roman camp in the neighbourhood ; and on a cairn of stones whicli 



B 



