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On the History of Fossil Vegetables. By M. Alph. De 

 Candolle. 



I. Historical Introduction. 



The vegetables which are now flourishing on the surface of 

 the globe, have been preceded by others, the mere traces of 

 which are now found in the bowels of the earth, and especially 

 in coal-mines. This fact, so important to the geologist, is not 

 less so to the botanist, inasmuch as it belongs to the history of 

 the vegetable kingdom ; and the determination of these vegeta- 

 ble fossils, on the accuracy of which all the consequences dedu- 

 cible from these researches rests, is a subject clearly belonging 

 to the province of the botanist. 



Animal petrifactions have been noticed in all ages ; but it 

 was only during the last century that vegetable fossils have 

 received serious attention ; probably because none of the parts 

 of plants being so solid as bones and shells, they have not been 

 so well preserved in the interior of the earth. 



M. Anthony Jussieu* was one of the first who recognised 

 the difference between the vegetable fossils of coal-mines, and 

 those plants which now flourish in the same localities. He also 

 observed the unexpected resemblance they bear to the plants of 

 the equatorial regions. From that period, different memoirs 

 have been published on this interesting subject ; and Scheuchzer, 

 in a distinct work (Herbarium Diluvianum) gave tolerably 

 accurate figures of several vegetable fossils. But it could not 

 be expected that this branch of science should make any real pro- 

 curess so long as geology and botany themselves were but in their 

 infancy. It was necessary that observation should previously 

 have placed geology on a firm foundation ; and as it regards 

 botany, that it should not be fettered by artificial systems, 

 which often rendered all comparison between allied species reall v 

 difficult ;— that the majority, at least, of species now existing 

 should be known, and that those of warm climates should espe- 

 cially have been studied. 



At the beginning of the present century such progress had 

 been made, that labour might advantageously be bestowed upon 

 • Mem. de I'Acad. des Sciences, 171fi. 



vol.. XVIII. NO. XXXV. JAKUAUY 1835. F 



