NOMENCLATURE h dimensionless stream function ; Gr,, Grashof number, g/?A7’x3!v2 ; Gr:. modified Grashof number, gbqx4/kv2 ; 9. acceleration due to gravity ; h. local heat transfer coefficient. q/AT. k, thermal conductivity; Nu,, local Nusselt number, hxik; Prandtl number, V/K; heat flux constant ; Reynolds number, Uxiv; temperature; ambient temperature; local plate temperature : free stream velocity; streamwise velocity : transverse velocity: streamwise coordinate; transverse coordinate : T, TO: coefficient of thermal expansion ; dimensionless temperature : pseudo-similarity variable ; coefficient of thermal conductivity; kinematic viscosity ; dimensionless streamwise coordinate: stream function. criticisms made by Merkin [2] with respect to attempted series solutions about the basic free and forced convection flows as outlined by Szewczyk [3]. Essentially the error in [3] could be attributed to the choice ofa parameter expansion as opposed to the correct choice, namely a coordinate expansion. In this light it is seen that account must be taken of difficulties, which arise in the form of eigen-solutions, in the perturbed free convection solution. These difficulties are associated with the asymptotic nature of this solution at a distance far removed from the leading edge and indeed reflect the solutions’ unawareness of the precise location of the leading edge (see Stewartson [4]). ‘In [2]‘ a dimensional analysis of the governing equations yields the choice of nondimensional coordinate as