ORGANIZED FABRIC. 
25 
VI. Phanerogamia Dicotgledones, flow¬ 
ering plants with two-lobed seeds. 
This classification is natural, and is foun¬ 
ded on characters which are constant, and 
pervade the whole structure. Thus by the 
aid of the microscope, we can discern that 
the arrangement of the minute vessels which 
compose the living plant, is essentially dif¬ 
ferent in each class, and the smallest portion 
becomes sufficient to classify the individual 
to which it belonged. In applying this 
test to fossils, most satisfactory results are 
obtained. So indelible are the marks im¬ 
pressed upon living matter, upon that which 
has ever been the channel of the life be¬ 
stowed by God, that they are conspicuous 
and discernible even amid the aged ruins 
of the coal mine, and after the violent pro¬ 
cess of combustion. The ashes of coal, 
when examined under a high magnifying 
power, display the original texture of the 
wood; and thin slices of mineral coal, sub¬ 
jected to the same scrutiny, reveal the secret 
of their birth. The boundaries between 
the vegetable and animal kingdom may be 
obscure^ but the place where the former 
c 
