I04 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS, 



he mentioned when the ship he was in previously was stationed 

 in the Red Sea, they were surprised to find on weighing an- 

 chor a bronze wheel entangled in it, which the Chaplain on 

 board assured them must have belonged to one of the War 

 Chariots of the Host of King Pharaoh that perished there. 

 O how interesting ! Maria, does not that confirm all we read 

 about regarding the escape of the children of Israel from the 

 cruel Egyptians ?'" So this modern Ananias contrived to get 

 restored to the good graces of his relatives — by a fluke. 



One of the most remarkable discoveries of the early Eng- 

 lish Geologists was what is known as "the dirt beds" of the 

 Wealden Group, Isle of Portland, more recently recognized at 

 AVeymouth, also in France, Germany, etc. The Marine Lime- 

 stone on which they rest is called "The Oolite." When this 

 was raised up and became dry land a tropical climate prevailed 

 in England and a sufficient soil had accumulated on its sur- 

 face to enable the rich Flora of the period to flourish abund- 

 antly. "Tropical in its nature, viz., Cycadeoideae," etc., re- 

 marks de la Reche, who furnishes me with the following ex- 

 tract taken from his Geological Manual, third edition : "This 

 " land was then depressed ; but so tranquilly that the vegetable 

 " soil, mixed with a few pebbles from the subjacent rock, was 

 " not washed awav : neither were the trees considerably dis- 

 placed, but thev were left in much the same way as we have 

 " seen other trees in the submarine forests which surroun^l 

 " Great Britain in various places and occur on the Coast of 

 " France. Like them also, the trees of the dirt bed are found, 

 " some prostrate, others inclined, and others nearly in the po- 

 " sition in which they grew, the upright portions being partly 

 " imbedded in the limestone strata above. There is nothing 

 " singular in the gradual depression of land. This has hap- 

 " pened at various periods." 



A good many years ago the writer received from Sir W. 

 Dawson, then Principal of McGill University, an able Paper 

 on"The Geneses and Aligrations of Plants." Through his kind- 

 ness on former occasions I was indebted to him chiefly for the 

 little knowledge he acquired of Devonian Fossil Land Plants, 



