186 president's address. 



a long year of winter's floods and summer's thunder spates, 

 which come down so furiously and frequently, with but slight 

 warning, removing rocks and gravel, and threatening destruction 

 to all vegetation within reach. Yet these plants remain year 

 after year the peculiar beauty and property of Higher Teesdale, 

 and we hope will still remain to give pleasure to those who love 

 to see rare plants luxuriating in their native haunts. The sight 

 we here enjoyed was to a certain extent unique, and such as 

 could only be seen in a very dry season, undisturbed by summer 

 spates, which would certainly have destroyed in an hour the 

 golden beauty of this lovely shrub, which is said to grow wild 

 in only one other locality in England, Wastdale. 



The bed of the Tees, from High Force to "Winch Bridge, and 

 for several miles further, runs over and through channels, cut 

 or worn out of the hard basaltic rock of the district, and when 

 well flooded abounds with small falls and a few larger cascades, but 

 on this occasion the small diminished streams ran nearly unseen 

 in the deeper channels. At Winch Bridge, after gathering some 

 very large specimens of the Cow-wheat, we crossed, by the neat 

 suspension bridge, the deep chasm cut through the Whinsill at 

 this place, and wended our way back along the dusty road on 

 the Durham side. This walk was certainly the most enjoyable 

 of the two clays' excursion, during which no new discovery was 

 made, or was likely to be made in this now-often visited locality. 

 Mr. and Mrs. Coltman attended, as on former occasions, to the 

 home comforts of the party at the High Force Inn, and the only 

 desiderata seemed to be a heavy shower of rain, and a fresh 

 westerly breeze, to stir the dull grey, lifeless inactivity of every 

 thing. 



The Third Field Meeting (twelve members attended this 

 meeting) was held at Pateley Bridge, on Bank Holiday, August 

 1st, and Tuesday, the 2nd. This central situation was selected 

 to enable the members to visit the higher part of the dale and 

 other objects of interest a few miles distant. Mdderdale is a 

 deep narrow valley, steep, and not easy of access on the north 

 side, but of easier slope, and more practicable for man or beast 



