THE TORBANEHILL MINERAL, ETC. 195 



latter to be cells, could such multitudes of them be derived 

 from the gigantic ferns of the coal formation, or such as are 

 imbedded in the mineral ? I think not ; because the amount 

 of scalariform and woody tissue is too disproportioned to the 

 number of the cells to favour such an idea. Besides, vv^hat 

 kind of force or power could have been in operation that would 

 have separated and collected the delicate cells, and left the 

 ducts and other tissues of the plants by themselves, and out of 

 sight throughout such enormous masses. I have carefully 

 examined the cells in large ferns, and observed the singular 

 markings of cellular tissue, woody fibre, and scalariform ducts, 

 many of them present, visible even to the naked eye, — than 

 which nothing can be more unlike the Torbanehill mineral. 

 The cells themselves are also larger, of more uniform size, and 

 contain numerous starch granules ; whilst the true resin cells 

 are exceedingly large and distinct, strongly analogous, indeed, 

 to what I have described as existing in the woody texture of 

 coal, but wholly dissimilar to anything observable in the Tor- 

 banehill mineral. Such a view, indeed, would, it seems to me, 

 lead to the extraordinary conclusion that this mineral is com- 

 posed of a vegetable tissue, more cellular than any plant ever 

 yet met with, recent or fossil, and so rich in cells as to be 

 wholly dissimilar to wliat we can even imagine to have existed, 

 taking its size and bulk into consideration. Such masses of 

 cells could not have been formed or nourished without ducts 

 passing through them, in various definite directions, to convey 

 a nutritive fluid ; and yet we find such ducts only to be acci- 

 dental, and only distinctly connected with plants imbedded 

 here and there in the general mass. 



Whilst, then, the notion of these yellow masses being vege- 

 table cells, seems to me opposed to every known or conceiv- 

 able fact yet ascertained to exist in vegetable histology, or 

 from such as are demonstrable in the Torbanehill mineral, the 

 theory of their being bituminoid masses imbedded in clay, 

 appears to be in perfect harmony with all of them, and espe- 

 cially answers the reasons given by Dr. Redfern. 



With a view of determining whether the Torbanehill mineral 

 could by any possibility be produced by a process similar to 

 that of the formation of peat, which was described at the last 

 meeting of the Society by Dr. Fleming,* I have examined 

 various specimens of peat, and have confirmed his description. 

 They consist of mosses, especially of the Sphagnum, the spiral 

 cells of which plant are peculiar, and easily recognised, asso- 

 ciated with broken-down woody tissue, root-stalks, and 



* Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Session 1853-4, 

 p. 216. 



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