The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-24

THE pR!mevAL FLORA

Lecture by Professor Dawson, Of Montreal.
Professor Dawson, President OF McGlll College,
Montreal, delivered lecture on the above subject,
being the fourth of the series before the American
Institute last evening, at Seinway Hall, Fourteenth
street, which was well filled by an intellectual
audience on the occasion. Shortly after eight
O'Clock Judge Daily, OF the Court Of Com
mon Pleas, took the chair and introduced
the lecturer in few appropriate remarks Professor
Dawson opened his discourse by saying he should
have to deal principally with past time He should
have to make large demands upon then faith
with regard to the extent Of past time. Geology,
indeed worked strange revolution In our notions OF
things and old. II was to primeyal forests that
he would try to carry them that evening In
imagination to awaken their slumbering ages and
make them green in their eyes and vocal in their
ears. They should thus find themselves In new
world, different from that which we inhabited and
differently peopled He had selected for the subject
OF his lecture but small department OF the vast
field OF fossil botany and he should, consequently,
give them sketch of the "Primeval Floran-the
subject of this lecture. First, he should say few
words on the relation Of this Prlmeval Flora to
existing plants; next he should say something
OF its relation in general way to the school
OF geological times Then he should enter on the
subject proper by describing some Of the most re-
markabe plants that iourished in that primeval
time. First for the benefit OF those OF the audience
who might not have very deeply studied modern
plants he should say few words about the CLASH
FOSSIL to them II we took the Whole Of the - facts
known we should find that they might be divided
into two great series-frst that series Of plants
III which we have distinct flowers and fruit,
containing seeds proper. These were. the
highest plants or the pheaografns OF the
which" Of 81 seeas
microscopic seeds, which were called sphOrs. The
lecturer then went on to describe the dii,
lis remarks copiously on diagrams such
as escogems, endogens and phinogems: In the
er s , might also make ic S
ducibe was that the whole valley OF the earth, from
the earliest geological times, was under one system
OF classification. From the beginning Of geologic
times one plan had been followed out in the con-
struction OF the vegetable Kingdom. The whole
that were now on the earth alone, but OF all the
plants that ever were on the earth. The primitive
flora might include representatives OF all the groups
only the representatives Ofsome OF them. The factwas,
u included the representatives Of the middle grade.
we should find that the fossil plants were not
exogens or endogens, but great many OF them be-
longed to the highest group OF the crypogramous
plants. II we had known nothing about the Prime
val Flora we should neither have known the posi-
bilites OF the vegetable kingdom 10 its higher state,
the possibilities OF the vegetable kingdom In its
lower state but only some OF it in the middle Of it.
We might ask ourselves the questOns:-Does this
bear any relation TO anything we see in the world
present that could show us iora similar to that
the Primeva Floras The only climates In the pre-
sent world which nearly approached4in their fora
or The southern hemisphere. After elabo.
rating largely on this. branch Of his subject
the lecturer proceeded to speak Of the ferns
have any taste for nature at apIhey could see some
most magnificent specimens Of them In Columbia
College. II we compared them with modern ferns
we would find they more resembled such as might be
gathered in the New Hebrides or New Zealand or
along the Pacific and they very like modern
ferns. We might split up tons OF coal shales and
find the roots or these In the tropical regions the
tree fern grew to dignity and beauty beyond con-
cepton. On the diagram they had tree fern with
only two leaves at time from ia peculiar and
graceful form OF tree which HAD represent
tative In the modern world. The ferns had good
deal to do with making coal forests. They had
still another group of trees-namey, pines. Our
pines and spruces and larches were represented
In the coal formation period. Now the pines OF the
coal formation appeared to have been composed OF
wood very much OF the same texture as our modern
pine, which was very durable wood, and we f0und
parts Of the trunks OF these pines preserved fossil In
the coal formation. III you go away to the Arctic
regions the last trees we found would be O little
spruce and furs. II you 20 down into the tropical
regions and into the islands of the Southern Henri
sphere. you would find there pines like those you
had at home. The pines were distributed through
out the modern world well as they were in byg0ne
geological periods. The lecturer then went into q
deep ana learned discussion ON his SUBJECT pointing
world Of geological nature, and concluding amidst
baur