IX THE STRATA OF THE CARBONIFEROUS SERIES. 43 



FOSSIL PLANTS FOUND IN THE COAL-FIELDS OF THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. 



WIDEOPEN FOSSIL TREE. 



A great fossil tree was found in 1829 at Wideopen, near Gosforth, 

 in a quarry upon the estate of the Reverend R. H. Brandling, on the 

 eastern side of the great north road, and about five miles north of Newcastle- 

 upon-Tyne. It occurred in the grindstone or firestone bed, commonly known 

 by the name of " Grindstone Post." This bed is considered one of the 

 highest members of the coal-formation of that district, and has its name 

 from being extensively quarried for grindstones, as well as for glass-houses 

 and iron-furnaces, the stone being of a loosely aggregated texture, porous, 

 and not liable to crack under the action of heat. The length of the fossil 

 was' 72 feet. It had no branches, but was rather abundantly marked with 

 knots, indicating the places at which they had shot out. Its distance from 

 the surface was 40 feet, of which 10 were clay, the rest sandstone. 



In Plate IX. are represented transverse slices of this plant, magnified 

 about fifty-five times. 



Fig. 1. Represents a portion of a transverse slice, from one of the most 

 regular parts. It may here be observed, that, in some portions of sections 

 made in this direction, a tendency to the concentric arrangement seems to 

 exist, but without any decided appearance of woody layers. 



Fig. 2. A portion of the same. The appearance here presented is that 

 usually seen, the regularity of the series of elongated cellules being altered 

 by fissures filled with carbonaceous matter. 



Fig. 3. Representation of a portion of one of the more regular parts, ex- 

 hibiting the same general arrangement. 



Fig. 4. From a more confused portion. The distortions produced by 

 the partial decay and alteration of the tissue are here distinctly seen. 



This plant was partially described by me in my " Observations on Fossil 

 Vegetables ;" but as I had there confined myself to transverse sections of 

 the tissue, Messrs Lindley and Hutton instituted a further investigation 



