Large Organic Remains. 459 



with him, among other oljjects of curiosity, the skeletons and 

 skins of an enormous Hippopotamus, a Rhinoceros, and threo 

 Whales, one of which is /f) feet in length. It was not till after a 

 month passed in the midst of imminent dangers, that M. Lalande 

 met with that dreadful monster the Hippopotamus: when he 

 received his death wound, he rushed rapidly into tiie river, which 

 he discoloured with his blood. It required ten pair of oxen to 

 draw him out of the river, and M. Lalande was compelled to erect 

 a rampart of baml)oo cane round the dead animal, to protect the 

 carcase from being devoured by wild beasts. The whole collection 

 brought home by M. Lalande for the Museum at Paris, comprises 

 15,000 articles. Tliis enterprising naturalist speaks with rapture 

 of the kind and hospital)le conduct of the British settlers. A 

 Paris .Journal says, " Great praise is due to the English for their 

 hospitable and generous conduct towards M. Lalande. The Hon. 

 Commander on the station favoured him in every way in his 

 pov/er. Hunting the Hippopotamus is prohibited under severe 

 penalties ; but this interdiction was dispensed with in favour of 

 the French naturalist ; they aided him in every thing calculated 

 to ensure success, without however concealing from him that they 

 thought success impossible. When, contrary to all expectation, 

 he had succeeded, the English cordially rejoiced, and loaded the. 

 fortunate hunter with sincere congratulations." 



LARGE ORGANIC REMAINS. 



In some of the Sandstone Rocks which alternate with the 

 seams of Coal, in a great manv if not all of the Coal-fields in 

 England, the remains of very large, thin, hollow or Rced-like 

 Vegetables have been found, sometimes lieing along in the Stone, 

 and sonietimcs standing erect therein: the inside hollow of the 

 Vegetable, being now completely filled with Sandstone, iu all 

 respects like that which surrounds it, and the vegetable case or 

 sheath is found converted into perfect Coal * ; on the outside of 

 which coalv Case or Sheath, the papilla or places where very 

 numerous large Leaves were once attached to the vegetable, are 

 in general visible ; an<l not uncommonly, particularly in the me- 

 dium and smaller sizes of theee Reed-like Remains, the Leaves 



• It seems more than probable, that hollow vegetable pipes contributed 

 p;reatly to supply the Masses of which the Coiil-scams are now composed: 

 hecnusc, on the tops of many Coal-seams, of inferior quality, and where 

 much earthy Matter is found mixed in the bad Coal, such pipy Vegetables, 

 nearly or ([uite colla|)sed, and converted into Coal, very numerously abound ; 

 the papilia, and sometimes the Leaves also, bein<j; visible on the outsides of 

 such collapsed I'ipcs, or flattened Rccrlx as they are very commonly called. 

 In the process of forniin}; j^ood or j)erfect Coal, a crystallization of the vc- 

 cjetable mass has taken place, by which all traces of organization arc obli- 

 terated. 



3 M 2 arc 



