NOTES AND QUERIES. 



371 



bottoms, perpendicular sides, and as smooth as glass. Here too their position, 

 regularity, and manner of formation, point them out not as the operations of 

 nature, but as the works of oui' forefathers, who delighted to worship the " God 

 of the storm, the thunder, and the tempest who knew not the God of love, 

 and \^ ho chose then* temples accordrngly. — Peancis E. Drake, Hill Eield 

 House, Leicester. 



The Discoverer of the Oldhamia, — Dear Sir, — In the last number 

 of your most useful periodical. The Geologist, wliich has reached me here — 

 namely that for May 1S59, I tind what appears to be an erroneous statement. 

 In a note at page ISi you say, " The Oldhamise found in 184:7 by Dr. Kinahan 

 in the Cambrian-rocks of Bray Head were the first relics found in the Cambrian- 

 rocks." And again, at page 189, speaking of Bray Head, you remark, " It was 

 there, however, nine years before Mr. Salter's discoveries in Shropshh*e, that 

 the tirst relics of a primordial organized life were found by Dr. Kinahan." I 

 see also iu another journal, the "Athenaeum," of April 23rd, 1859, in a brief 

 notice of my zealous colleague and collector in Ireland, Mr. Flanagan, that he 

 is stated to have been the " discoverer of the Oldhamia." 



I tliink it desirable to place on record the facts of the case, not because I 

 suppose that there is any credit attached to such a discovery, but simply be- 

 cause it is always weU to fix accurately the date of such ciiTumstances. 



In vol. iii. of the "Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin," pages 57 and 

 GO you Avill find a notice of a paper on Bray Head read by me to the Society, 

 m which you wiU see these fossils noticed. I stated that I had not, up to that 

 time, been successful in findmg " organic remains in the slate rocks of Bray 

 Head, with the exception of some small zoophytic markings, which did not ap- 

 pear referable to known genera." This was first laid before the Society on the 

 8th of May, 1811, and finally read on the 12th June, 1811. The paper was 

 accompanied by a large collection of these zoophytes. This series was subse- 

 quently submitted to my dear friend Edward Eorbes, who carefully examined 

 them, and on the 15th November, 1818, described their characters to the 

 Geological Society of Dublin, giving to them the generic name of Oldhamia, 

 which had been suggested two years before by Sir H. de la Beche. 



Mr. Elanagan subsequently, under my oAvn directions — I being at that time 

 in charge of the Geological Survey in Ireland— visited Bray Head, and carefully 

 examined it for fossils. I personally pointed out to liim the places where I had 

 found these Oldhamia, and to the then kno^vn localities Mr. Elanagan added 

 several others ; but so far from being the discoverer of these fossils, he was 

 sent there specially by me to collect them. 



_ You will see from the above that the Oldhamise were not discovered by Dr. 

 Kinahan in 1817, but were publicly exhibited and referred to in 1811. They 

 were iii reality known to me in 1810, and I have sketches of them of that date ; 

 but they were not made public tilL1811. 



To Dr. Kinahan, geologists are indebted for very valuable contributions to 

 our knowledge of these curious remains — additions made since I left Ireland, 

 and I trust he may long continue to investigate the natui-al history of his 

 native land with equal success. — I am, dear Sir, youi-s faithfully, Thomas 

 Oldham, Calcutta, 2nd July, 1859. — Mr. Mackie sincerely regrets the in- 

 advertauce referred to in Professor Oldham's letter, which he prints in full, 

 beheving there are others who have been accidentally misled in like manner 

 with hiinscK, and that it is proper the real discoverer should have his just 

 merit fairly acknowledged. 



Ancient Canoes. — Sir, — Is there any reason, antiquarian or geological, 

 why some of the rude canoes of very early date which have been found in peat 

 and estuary deposits in this and other countries should not belong to that 

 early age of the primitive men who were possibly associated on our planet with 



