Vegetation of the First Period of an Ancient World. 1 1 5 



A deposit of limestone also occurs at Hatton near East Calder, con- 

 taining 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 Craiglieth. The length of time which has been allowed 

 to elapse, without attempting to obtain the necessary information re- 

 specting this singular plant; add to that, the peculiarity of its struc- 

 ture and composition, has induced 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 Philosophical Society of York. His opinion is, that it is a rao- 

 nocotyledonous plant; as a pithy substance fills up the interstices be- 

 tween the vessels, and that there has been no bark or concentric ar- 

 rangement 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, submitted to me with the greatest care, I can 

 scarcely admit of a doubt upon the subject."* 



The internal structure, its singular color, when contrasted with the 

 block of sandstone in which it was found, induced me to request my 

 friend Mr. Nicol to analyze it, the following was the result : — 



60 per cent, of carbonate of lime. 



18 per cent, of oxide of iron. 



10 per cent, of alumine. 

 9 per cent, of carbonaceous matter. 



The height of this gigantic plant was thirty six feet, three feet 

 diameter at its base, and lying in nearly horizontal position, corres- 

 ponding with the dip. No branches were found. 



This, therefore, with a few others I could here mention, and which 

 I trust will ere long be submitted to your consideration, form but tri- 

 fling exceptions to the general distribution of early vegetation. 



Thus in these great coal fields, (exclusive of the many varieties 

 of plants found in the bituminous shales, which I am happy to say 

 will shortly be submitted to the public in a work entitled the Fossil 

 Flora of Great Britain, by Mr. Lindley, Professor of Botany in the 



* Since writing this paper, I have received a kind communication from Mr. A. 

 Brongniart, through Mr. Philips of York, to the following effect, — " Please to in- 

 form Mr, Witham I have received his specimen of the Craiglieth fossil plant. It 

 has much surprised and interested me. Having had so little time for examination, I 

 cannot now give a final, but only a conditional opinion. It is, that I believe it to be 

 a section of a monocotyledonous plant." 



