28 Mr.Witham on theVegetationqfthe First Period of the fVorld, 



Having now troubled you with the few facts I have been 

 able to collect in the coal districts further south, to which 

 I have added some remarks on the troubles of the Scotch ba- 

 sins, — I shall add some short observations on the neighboux- 

 hood of this city. Here again, I have been fortunate in ob- 

 taining many specimens of vascular cryptogamic plants, whose 

 natural substances have been transubstantiated into the sedi- 

 mentary deposits in which they were entombed, with the ex- 

 ception of their bark or outer coating, which is always much 

 carbonized. The prevailing plants of this district, like those 

 of the Newcastle field, appear to be the Sigillcmce, the Sagi- 

 nari(E, with a number of Calamitcs. 



I'beg leave here to mention, that in the neighbourhood of 

 Burnt Island in Fifeshire, one of these vegetable fossils, the 

 Stigmaria of Brongniart, the Lepidode?idro}i o( Sternberg, with 

 strong impressions of its leaves, occurs in a limestone. This 

 is a circumstance by no means of common occurrence. This 

 limestone is devoid of any testaceous or coralline remains, and 

 in appearance and composition, by analysis, varies little from 

 the limestone of the Portland oolite. A deposit of limestone 

 also occurs at Hatton, near East Calder, containing terrestrial 

 vegetable impressions. 



I now take the opportunity of introducing an account of 

 that fossil member of early vegetation, discovered in the year 

 1826, in the quarry of Craigleith. — The length of time which 

 has been allowed to elapse without attempting to obtain the 

 necessary information respecting this singular plant, — add to 

 that, the peculiarity of its structure and composition, — has in- 

 duced me to take much pains upon this point. I therefore 

 laid a well cut transverse and also longitudinal section of this 

 fossil tree before Mr. Hincks, botanical curator to the Phi- 

 losophical Society of York. His opinion is, that it is a mono- 

 cotyledonous plant ; as a pithy substance fills up the interstices 

 between the vessels, and that there has been no bark or con- 

 centric arrangement of layers. He also observes a striking 

 resemblance to certainly monocotyledonous stems, which he 

 has before examined. " On the whole," Mr. Hincks says, 

 " having made the examination of this curious specimen sub- 

 mitted to me, with the greatest care, I can scarcely admit of 

 a doubt upon the subject*." 



♦ Since writing this paper I have received a kind communication from 

 Mons.A. Brongniart, through Mr. Philips of York, to the following effect. 

 " Please to inform Mr. Witham that I have received his specimen of the 

 Craigleith fossil plant. It has much surprised and interested me. Having 



The 



