'^^'"•1 LINDLEY AND HUTTON. 409 



renowned geologist. This work continued to appear until 1837, when it 

 was suspended. The whole is now bound in three shapely octavo vol 

 umes, and forms an indispensable part of the library of every paleo- 

 botanist. Prom such an authorship was certainly to be expected a 

 work of the highest authority and merit, and, indeed, such it really is. 

 The illustrations are as fine as could be attained for the octavo size, 

 and the text is both ample and accurate; but the greater part of the 

 introductory remarks in Volume I, as well as much of the general dis- 

 cussion throughout the work, is characterized by a most astonishing 

 and apparently willful ignorance of the true principles of paleophytology 

 as they were set forth by Brongniart, Sternberg, and even Schlotheim. 

 One of the most remarkable aberrations of the book is the pertinacity 

 with which the authors contend for the existence of cactaceous and 

 euphorbiaceous plants in the coal-measures. It is true that Parkinson'" 

 had seen a fancied resemblance between certain stems and those of 

 large cacti, and several similar guesses had been made by early au- 

 thors,"^ who supposed they must find the counterpart of every fossil in 

 the living flora, but all these imaginings had been long since laid aside 

 only to be revived by the leading botanist of Europe. 



The theory of a former tropical climate in England and temperate 

 Europe is assailed, the existence of tree ferns in the Carboniferous is 

 denied, and the relation of Calamites to the Equisetacese doubted, while 

 to the now somewhat waning doctrine of atmospheric changes " much 

 more probability is attached." The true secret of this sweeping skepti- 

 cism is, however, not far to seek. It is found in the more general 

 denial which is finally made of the conclusion to which an admission of 

 these rejected theories would naturally lead, and had actually led M. 

 Brongniart and others. The authors say: "Of a still more question- 

 able character is the theory of progressive development, as applied to the 

 state of vegetation in successive ages * * * in the vegetable king- 

 dom, it cannot be conceded that any satisfactory evidence has yet been 

 produced upon the subject; on the contrary, the tew data that exist, 

 appear to prove exactly the contrary." All the denials and assertions 

 contrary to Brongniart's teachings are made to support this view. The 

 existence of Cactacese, Euphorbiacese, and other Dicotyledons in the 

 Carboniferous would negative development; the existence of a former 

 tropical climate was a strong argument for the nebular hypothesis as well 

 as for geologic progress ; tree-ferns would argue such a former tropical 

 climate ; if Calamites could be shown to be a Juucus (Vol. I, p. xxx'), a 

 higher type would be found in Paleozoic strata and another point gained. 

 Still another good point was thought to be gained by proving what is 

 now admitted, that Coniferous plants occur in the coal. All botanists 

 proper then held, as many still hold, that the Gymuosperms were a 



'"Organic Remains, Vol. I, pp. 430, 439, Pi. V, Fig. 8, PI. IX, Fig. 10. 

 I'^Volkmann. Silesia snbterranea, p. 106; Walch, Naturgeschiohte der Vorsteiner- 

 ungen, Tab. Xa, Xb, Xc. 



