143 



beauty, that no miud, however uncultivated, is altogether without 

 delight in natural productions ; and the village child mingles, to her 

 infinite admiration, her blue-bells in a wreath with cowslips, unprompted 

 by any lessons on the principles of colour harmonies. 



But surely it is unworthy of man to make the prodigality of nature a 

 plea for inactivity of body or of mind. 



We fear not that the geologist views a mountain with a less impression 

 of its grandeur because he is a geologist. Let us be sure that nature 

 smiles most on those who know her best. 



The second Paper was then read, — 



ON VEGETABLE ORGANISMS FOUND IN COAL. 



By T. C. ARCHEE, Esq., V.P. 



To the naturalist there is a wide field for investigation iu the structure 

 of coal, and, let those despise it who will, a philosopher may find a larger 

 amount of intellectual occupation in investigating the contents of a 

 coal-box, than can be conceived by those who neglect the common 

 things by which they are surrounded, and seek gratification only in the 

 accumulation of the rarer objects of natural history. 



My attention was called to the structure of our common coal by Mr. 

 Robert Daw, comptroller of H.M. Customs, at this port, whose informa- 

 tion on this subject is perhaps more complete than that of any other 

 investigator. I need only refer to the eulogy passed upon this 

 gentleman by Professor Balfour, in his paper upon coal, printed in the 

 Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. 21, part 1, in 

 confirmation of this opinion. 



During the past year Mr. Daw called my attention to the same 

 organized bodies which Professor Balfour suggested might be sporangia 

 of " some plant allied to Ij/copodium, perhaps sujillaria" and I felt much 

 interest in examining the various specimens which he showed me. But 

 what chiefly interested me was some coal which exhibited peculiar 

 traces of organized tissues in a charred state, — in fact, resembling 

 the charred surface of recently burned timber; whilst the general 

 appearance of coal scarcely convej'S the idea of combustion of any 

 kind.* 



From this I am led to conclude that although in some cases a 

 process of cremacausis may have converted the vegetable matter into 

 coal, and iu others the carbonization may have resulted from heat 



• Having occasion often to pass through the briclifiulds near Upper rarlianient-street, 

 last suminer, these appearances wore frequently observed in the coal used there for 

 barning. — Editor. 



