112 Fossil .Vegetables. 



lapidary will find it advantageous, to fix the glass in a groove made 

 in a small piece of wood. The groove should be a little less deep 

 than the thickness of the glass, and the wood itself should project 

 half an inch beyond each side. . " 



A lapidary will thus find no difficulty in reducing, and polishing 

 any piece of petrified wood to the degree of thinness, sufficient to 

 render its structure visible. 



With the hope of exciting the public attention in this country to 

 this very interesting subject, we subjoin a letter from Mr. Withara' 

 to the editor, with his reply. 



TO PROrESSOR SILLIMAN. 



Sir — In perusing your Journal, I perceive you are anxious for 

 the promotion of all branches of science in the -various departments, 

 and as it appears to me, that little attention has hitherto been paid 

 in America to the peculiarities of fossil vegetation ; I have therefore 

 taken the liberty of sending one or two memoirs, and a short work 

 upon that department of the botanical field. Owing to the great opa- 

 city and consequent difficulty of obtaining insight into the internal 

 structure, of fossil vegetables, they have been, until lately, much neg- 

 lected. You will now perceive that by a new mode of cutting, slicing 

 and grinding, you vi^ill be able to obtain the internal structure of any 

 plant that retains its structure. Should you, by your persuasion, be 

 able to set labourers to work in your extensive coal fields, it may 

 lead to comparisons, both curious and highly instructive, and any 

 communications received from you, will be most gratefully received, 

 by. Sir, Your obt. servt. H. Witham. 



Lai'tington, Greta Bridge, Yorkshire, or 

 14 Great King Street, Edinburgh, April 5. 



Yale College, July 11, 1833. 

 glr — A few days ago, I had the pleasure of receiving your kind 

 letter of April 5th, with several copies of your two memoirs, for which 

 I beg you to accept my best thanks. They have interested me very 

 much, and I shall give in the Am. Jour, a short notice of your discov- 

 eries. In 1830, I republished the first observations which you had 

 then made ; and still earlier, those of M. Alex. Brongniart, in the 

 coal of St. Etienne, in France. You have opened a very inter- 

 esting field of inquiry, and I doubt not that the progress of explo- 

 ration, in this country, will add to the mass of similar facts. I have 



