THE BERWICKSHIRE COAST 165 
an aromatic plant which in former times was used as a pot 
herb. 
Walking over the shingle, we observe a deep brownish-black 
stone, with lovely spots of a bright lemon-yellow and red colours, 
with golden streaks and markings. It proves to be a very rare 
form of jasper, and when it is polished will form a magnificent 
specimen. It has probably been brought to the spot by glacial 
action. Fine specimens of agates and jasper are found at 
various points on this coast, but, unfortunately, from the severe 
treatment they have been subjected to, they frequently have 
flaws and cracks in them. Here and there on the sandy parts 
of the beach we see a low-growing plant with glossy leaves and 
greenish - yellow flowers, the sea purslane. Its chief interest 
lies in the fact that it is found only on the sea shore. Close to it 
grows a plant which was once of great commercial value, the 
saltwort. It was collected in very great quantities along with 
some other sea-shore plants, then dried and burnt, and the ashes 
formed the barilla of commerce. The plant, being one of the 
oldest chemists in the world, extracted its soda from the sea 
water, and our own chemists got their soda from its ashes, the 
barilla. The chemists of to-day, however, have learnt wisdom 
from the plant, and make their soda direct from salt, and so the 
trade in barilla has become a thing of the past. The plant is 
very succulent, and is armed with strong spines, and altogether 
is likely to arrest the attention of even a careless observer. On 
all the grassy banks on this coast there are millions upon 
millions of the primrose, as well as its near relation, the cowslip. 
The great poet Goethe was one of the first to point out that 
all the parts of the flower are changed and altered leaves, and on 
one occasion we saw here a specimen of primrose which con- 
firmed this view in a very striking way. The calyx, instead of 
having the usual sharp-pointed sepals, was made up of five 
ordinary leaves differing only in size from leaves of the plant ! 
The cowslips, though not quite so abundant as their more 
modest relation, are in great numbers and perfection, and afford 
plenty of scope to anyone who wishes to verify Darwin’s 
observations. N.B. — You can only verify, you cannot controvert 
any of the observations of the master observer. It is somewhat 
different with his theories : they are passing, like all such things ; 
but his observations are for all time ! 
We are now close to famous Pease burn, or dean, a place 
where, as Oliver Cromwell said, “ one man to let is better than 
ten to make way.” But the place is very quiet to-day, even the 
memory of his guns having died away. Just as we came near 
it, a dipper flies along, and suddenly stopping its flight, stands 
bobbing on a stone in the stream. Its nest is on the face of a 
bank not far from the bridge, which, of course, every visitor 
must see. Passing the Alders (“Allers”) which haunt the banks 
of most of our streams, and from the wood of which some of the 
Protector’s gunpowder was made, we come to the mill, with 
