CHAPTER XXV.

GROUND PLAN OF CRICH HILL.

Lign. 273. Ground Plan of Crich Hill,Derbyshire.(Scale, one inch to a mile.)ByHenry Carr, Esq. C. E. from actual Survey.The area, enclosed within a line, and markedStand, Crich Hill, is the elevated oblong dome oflimestone. All the surrounding country is composed ofmillstone gritandsandstone.The arrows on the boundary line of Crich Hill denote the direction of the dip of the limestone strata in nine positions measured and determined by Mr. Carr. The dip vanes from 20 to 50, the greatest inclination is on the south-east of the tower.The arrows on the surrounding millstone escarpments mark the dip of those strata in a sufficient number of stations, to convey a general idea of the position of the mountain masses environing Crich Hill.[811][811]At Whatstandwell, abridge crosses the Derwent; and dose by, there is theBull Inn, where good accommodation and sleeping apartments maybe obtained.

Lign. 273. Ground Plan of Crich Hill,Derbyshire.(Scale, one inch to a mile.)ByHenry Carr, Esq. C. E. from actual Survey.

The area, enclosed within a line, and markedStand, Crich Hill, is the elevated oblong dome oflimestone. All the surrounding country is composed ofmillstone gritandsandstone.

The arrows on the boundary line of Crich Hill denote the direction of the dip of the limestone strata in nine positions measured and determined by Mr. Carr. The dip vanes from 20 to 50, the greatest inclination is on the south-east of the tower.

The arrows on the surrounding millstone escarpments mark the dip of those strata in a sufficient number of stations, to convey a general idea of the position of the mountain masses environing Crich Hill.[811]

[811]At Whatstandwell, abridge crosses the Derwent; and dose by, there is theBull Inn, where good accommodation and sleeping apartments maybe obtained.

CRICH HILL.

Lign. 274. Section of Crich Hill; from A to B on the plan,Lign.273.(Natural scale.)ByReginald Neville Mantell.A, B.—Strata ofMillstone Grit, highly inclined, and dipping from the central axis.Protrusion of the Mountain Limestone, on the summit of which is Crich Tower, 716 feet above the level of the river Derwent.Central mass ofTrap, reached by a vertical shaft from above, and by a gallery on the side of the hill.

It is therefore evident, that at Crich the strata No. 2 must have been forced up, and protruded through the strata No. 1, or they could not occupy their present position. We remarked, on ascending Holloway Hill, the great disturbance which the Millstone beds had sustained (see the vignette of this volume); and the shaft and gallery near Wakebridge (p. 884) disclosed the existence of a mass of basalt, ortrap, of unknown extent, beneath the limestone, in the centre of the mountain; while the fissures and crevices, filled with metallic ores and spars, attest theaction of intense heat, under great pressure. According to a survey made by my son, a section in the line marked A—B on the plan,Lign.273, presents the arrangement of the strata seen inLign.274: the heights are from actual admeasurements.

From the data thus obtained, we may construct an ideal section in illustration of these phenomena, as in the following diagram (Lign.275).

Here then, as Mr. Bakewell forcibly observed, "we have cause and effect in conjunction." Here is the cooled and consolidated molten rock, whose expansive force elevated the horizontal strata of limestone, and forced them through the superincumbent beds of grit and sandstone. But this eruption must have taken place under great pressure, and at the bottom of the sea; for, had the phenomena been sub-aërial, the result would have been altogether of a different nature; and we should have had cooled lava streams, and not masses of basalt.

We have seen that the strata rise round and enfold this central nucleus of volcanic rock, displaying nearly hemispherical segments and curves. Now if we suppose a vertical transverse fissure across such a hill as that represented in the diagram (Lign.275), the face of the remaining strata would be in every respect similar to that of theHigh Tor(seeLign.270, p. 876); namely, a mass ofTrap, ortoadstone, at the base, and a series of arched strata of limestone above; with fissures containing ores of lead, zinc, barytes, &c. and various kinds of spar.

Lign. 275. Ideal transverse Section of Crich Hill.A, A.—Highly inclined strata ofMillstone Grit.B, B.—Arched strata ofMountain Limestone.C.—A central nucleus ofTraporToadstone.

To a mind accustomed to investigations of this nature, a slight examination of the phenomena under review will, I apprehend, suffice to demonstrate the correctness of these deductions; but I may have failed to place the subject before the general reader in an intelligible and lucid point of view; should this be the case, still, if the attempt to present a familiar exposition of the physical structure of this remarkable district shall induce him to visit the scenes I have so imperfectly portrayed, and interrogate Nature in a right spirit, the hours we have passed together in our excursion to Crich Hill will not have been spent in vain; for in the beautiful language of the noble bard:—

"To sit on rocks, to muse o’er flood and fell,To slowly trace the forest’s shady scene,Where things that own not man’s dominion dwell,And mortal foot hath ne’er or rarely been;To climb the trackless mountain all unseen,With the wild flock that never needs a fold;Alone o’er steeps and foaming falls to lean;This is not solitude; ’tis but to holdConverse with Nature’s charms, and view her storesunroll’d."—Childe Harold, Canto II.xxv.

Specimens of Fossils and Minerals.—On our return, our first care must be to look over all the specimens we have gathered, arrange them, and select those which are the most illustrative of the phenomena we have examined; and ticket every specimen, as recommended in the Instructions. The fossils, consisting of several species ofspiriferand other brachiopoda, and of portions of encrinital stems, require no particular care. The rocks should comprise specimens of the different varieties of limestone and sandstone; and of the green limestone, altered by contact with the toadstone; and examples of the compact trap, and of the variety veined with red jasper,—of the amygdaloidal toadstone,—and the vesicular, or that in which the cavities are empty. The minerals should comprise the ores of lead, zinc, barytes, fluor, and calcareous spar; of the last some good clear pieces should be selected, that will exhibit its double refracting property. Of the common metal,Pyrites, a few specimens should be preserved; this mineral, from its splendid yellow appearance, is often mistaken for gold; but a mere blow of the hammer will immediately detect it, forPyritesis brittle, and readily cracks to pieces, while gold, as is well known, is remarkably ductile. If the collector be not satisfied with the fruits of his day’s researches, he should look over the catalogue of Mr. Adams, and purchase such specimens as will render his collection sufficiently extensive to present a full illustration of the geological character of the scenes he has this day visited.

There is a variety of sulphate of barytes from near Youlgreave exhibited in the shops at Matlock, of which one or two examples should be obtained. The surface of the polished specimens much resembles the rich variegated appearance of dark tortoise-shell.This mineral has been formed, like the common calcareous stalactite, by infiltration through some porous rock; transverse sections exhibit concentric layers of various shades; while the longitudinal have the varied colours disposed like those in tortoise-shell.

BONSAL VALLEY.

NOTES FOR A GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION BY CROMFORD, UP BONSAL VALLEY, BY VIA GELLIA, TO MIDDLETON MOOR; RETURNING BY STONNIS.

This excursion will present many objects of interest, and one day at least should be devoted to the examination of the different localities pointed out in the following notes.[812]To Cromford, and then take the road that leads throughBonsalvale. A fine range of limestone on the right, and a sparkling stream (Bonsal-brook) on the left. On the banks of this brook there is a manufactory of mineral colours (Pooley’s) well worthy a visit. But before we reach this establishment, there is an opening on the hill side where the strata are exposed, and a bed of Trap is seen beneath the limestone; near this place specimens of fluor, calc-spar, &c., that have been thrown out in forming the excavation, may be collected. From beneath the trap a warm spring issues and flows into the neighbouring brook.

[812]Benjamin Froggatt should be engaged to conduct the pedestrian; and a carriage party would also do well to place themselves under his guidance.

Proceed up the road leading toVia Gellia, and through a valley flanked with high ranges of limestone and dun-stone. On the right, is the beautiful cascade previously mentioned, nearDunsley. This valley is a celebrated botanical region, for several species of plants which are of great rarity or unknown elsewhere are here met with. At the direction post, turn to the left up the steep hill that leads to Middleton Moor. On each side numerous fossilsof the mountain limestone may be collected from the blocks lying on the flanks of the hill. Views splendid in picturesque scenery and of a highly interesting geological character are obtained as we ascend. On the summit of Middleton Moor, which is from 1,300 to 1,400 feet above the level of the sea, a most extensive panoramic view of the surrounding country may be obtained. The geological map will enable the observer to identify the crags of Charnwood Forest, the High Peak, &c. &c. Almost every part of the Moor is studded with the disused shafts of exhausted mines, and which are so carelessly covered over as to be extremely dangerous, and the visitor must bear this caution in mind; for the heaps of stone placed at irregular intervals on the hill, and which tempt the geologist to seek for specimens, are for the most part piled over the openings of deep shafts.[813]

[813]My son narrowly escaped being drawn in by a heap of stones which gave way under his feet, and suddenly disappeared in the chasm below. In rambles of this kind in a mining country, the young geologist must, therefore, be upon his guard, or he may be engulphed with masses of limestone in some deep chasm, and his bones, incrusted with stalactite, form an ossiferous breccia, that in future ages may perplex some collector of organic remains to determine its relative antiquity!

Pass on by Worksworth, to the quarries of mountain limestone, where the encrinital marble, so largely employed for side-boards, chimney-pieces, &c. is procured. Near the approach to the entrance of the quarry, an instructive example of curved strata of limestone is seen on the left; and on the right, a fine vertical artificial section. On the weathered surface of the left side of this entrance, and on the face nearest the quarry, good specimens of the stems I and ossicula of the usual Derbyshire crinoidea may be extracted (p. 284) from the layers of reddish limestone; and good blocks of the marble may be selected. Large spirifers can be procured from the limestone in thesequarries; the quarry-men often have specimens. On the right hand of the entrance, layers of flinty slate (called partings ofblack bindby the miners) occur between the beds of limestone. In a field near this quarry, on the left of the road leading to Cromford, where some mining operations are going on, blocks of the stone calledcherthave been thrown up, and often contain beautiful examples of the pulley-stones (p. 285), or siliceous casts of the stems of the crinoidea. A large collection of fossils may be gathered in the localities above mentioned.

We now drive to the escarpment of millstone grit atStonnis, calledBlack-rock, whose pine-clad summit forms so conspicuous an object in the view from Crich Hill; it is about a mile from Cromford, and overlooks Matlock Dale.

On the right of the road, the refuse workings of a mine cover the side of the hill; among which some specimens of spars or minerals may perhaps be found.

VIEW FROM STONNIS.

But the grand attraction of Stonnis is the view of Matlock Dale and the surrounding mountains, obtained from the verge of the precipitous escarpment of sandstone rocks, under the knoll of pines. It is, indeed, a scene of transcendent beauty and magnificence, and is said, by one who has ascended every mountain top and traversed every ravine and valley in this district, to be unrivalled.

"In that species of beauty which in landscape scenery approaches to grandeur, it is unequalled in Derbyshire. The parts of which it is composed are of the first order of fine things, and they are combined with a felicity that but rarely occurs in nature. Scarthing Rock, the woods of Willersley Castle, Matlock High Tor, the hills of Masson, Crich, and Riber are all noble objects; and the rude masses that constitute the foreground of the picture are thrown together, and grouped and coloured in a manner strikingly picturesque. I have scaled the highest eminences in the mountainous districts of Derbyshire—seen from their summits the lovely dales that repose in H tranquil beauty at their base—marked the multitude of hills included within the wide horizon they command, and my heart has thrilled with emotion at the sight; but not an eminence that I everbefore ascended—not a prospect, however rich, and varied, which I thence beheld—is at all comparable with the view from Stonnis."[814]

[814]Derbyshire Tourist’s Guide, p. 42.

Every one possessed of taste and feeling who gazes upon this glorious landscape will partake, in a greater or lesser degree, of the emotions thus finely expressed by the ardent lover of the sublime and beautiful in nature; but to the natural philosopher the physical characters of this enchanting region are fraught with a deeper interest, and present subjects for the most profound contemplation. To him the rocks and the mountains are the grand monuments of nature, on which are inscribed the history of the physical revolutions of the globe which took place in periods incalculably remote and long antecedent to the creation of the human race. They present to his mind a succession of events, each so vast as to be beyond his finite comprehension; ages of tranquillity, with lands and seas teeming with life and happiness, succeeded by periods in which the earthquake and the volcano spread universal ruin and destruction—and they teach him that all these awful changes bear the impress of theAlmighty’shand, and were subservient to the eternal purpose of rendering this planet the fit abode ofman, during his mortal pilgrimage.

NOTES FOR A GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION TO CHARNWOOD FOREST, TO EXAMINE THE CENTRAL GROUP OF PLUTONIC ROCKS OF ENGLAND; AND THE CARBONIFEROUS AND CAMBRIAN STRATA, THROUGH WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN ERUPTED.

In the central county of our Island, within a hundred miles of the Tertiary deposits of the South-east of England, a group of plutonic rocks emerges from beneath the strata of limestone, coal, and red marl which constitute the principal geological features of the midland provinces, and rises up into the bold and picturesque range of hills ofCharnwood Forest. Almost the entire series of British rocks is now brought by the railroads within a few hours distance of the metropolis; and the geological inquirer may, in the course of a fortnight, examine in their natural situations the Eocene deposits of the London and Hampshire basins—the Cretaceous and Wealden strata of Sussex, Kent, and Surrey—the Oolitic, Liassic, Triassic, Permian, and Carboniferous systems—the Mountain limestone and its metalliferous treasures—Traps, or ancient lavas, and their effects—strata of the Silurian and Cambrian systems—and, lastly, Granite, Syenite, Porphyry, and other modifications of the plutonic or igneous rocks. The present notes refer to two or three days spent in exploring the country around Leicester, and in examining the granite of Mount Sorel[815]—the slate quarries of Swithland—the syenitic crags of Bardon Hill—the porphyritic masses of Markfield and Grooby—and thecoal-mines of Whitwick. On our previous excursion by railway to Leicester (see Excursion to Matlock, p. 867), the order of the succession of the strata from the metropolis to that town was described; on this occasion it will only be requisite to direct the traveller’s attention to the abrupt isolated hills, by Hinckley, Grooby, and the craggy peaks of Charnwood Forest, in the distance, on the left of the railroad, before reaching Leicester. If a pedestrian excursion be resolved upon, three or four days at least will be required to follow the route presently pointed out; in a carriage and pair, it may be accomplished in a long summer s day, by starting from Leicester at six, and returning by ten or eleven.[816]

[815]Sorel, a corruption ofSoar Hill, or hill on the river Soar.[816]It maybe well to remind the visitor that at Leicester the following objects are worthy of notice:—the Roman Milestone, now placed in the High-street; the remains of the Roman Wall; and the Blue Boar Hotel, where Richard III. slept the night before the battle of Bosworth.

[815]Sorel, a corruption ofSoar Hill, or hill on the river Soar.

[816]It maybe well to remind the visitor that at Leicester the following objects are worthy of notice:—the Roman Milestone, now placed in the High-street; the remains of the Roman Wall; and the Blue Boar Hotel, where Richard III. slept the night before the battle of Bosworth.

EXCURSION TO CHARNWOOD FOREST

The geological localities to be visited in this excursion are the following—

I. Barrow-on-Soar.[817]Lias limestone.—The quarries at this locality are celebrated for the organic remains that have from time to time been obtained from the limestone. Bones of Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri (seep. 669), fishes (Dapedius,p. 603), leaves of cycadeæ, and fossil wood, together with ammonites, terebratulæ, &c. may generally be obtained.

[817]There is a station at Barrow, and the pedestrian may be put down within a short distance, by the railway.

Although at the very foot of the plutonic rocks, and on the verge of the grand focus of volcanic action which erupted the syenitic masses of Charnwood Forest, the strata in this spot appear to have suffered but little disturbance.But this phenomenon is in accordance with what occurs in other volcanic districts. For, as M. Constant Prevost remarks, volcanoes may open across all the strata, without occasioning great derangements; thus, at Limagne, Aurillac, and Puy (seeWond.p. 269), the tertiary strata have preserved their horizontality, even around the vents through which issued the volcanic matter that covered those countries with numerous cones of eruption.

II. Mount Sorel.Granite and Syenite.—The road from Leicester ascends a ridge of Triassic or New Red strata, called Birstal Hill, from whence there is a fine view of the town. In the meadows on the left, some ruined walls, covered with ivy, mark the site, and are the only remains of the Abbey in which Cardinal Wolsey expired. ApproachingMount Sorel, an abrupt hill, with a mill on the summit, denotes, from a considerable distance, the geological character of the spot. There is a small Inn in the village, where accommodation may be procured. Visit the quarries, and also the establishment of Mr. Jackson, where the granite is worked into pillars, side-boards, &c.[818]

[818]An interesting account of this manufactory will be found in Sir Richard Phillips’s "Personal Tour."

The hill is about 120 feet in height, and 1,400 yards long; and is estimated to contain about two hundred millions of cubic feet of workable granite, above the general level of the district.[819]

[819]The granite resembles that of Aberdeen, but contains a larger proportion of felspar.

III. Swithland.Slate-rocks.—From Mount Sorel proceed to Swithland: as we approach the quarries, the employment of slate for every available purpose, in thefootpaths, walls of cottages, &c., indicates the abundance of this material in the neighbourhood. At Swithland, the quarries are very extensive, and expose magnificent sections, from 100 to 120 feet thick, of strata of Slate, highly inclined; and forming one side of an anticlinal axis, the summit of which will be passed over in our route by Woodhouse. In one quarry, at the time of my visit, a series of nearly horizontal strata of red marl was exposed, lying unconformably upon the edges of the highly inclined beds of Slate. The Slate-rocks of Charnwood Forest have a single anticlinal axis, which strikes from NN.W. to SS.E.; and the axis of the adjacent coal-field of Nuneaton has a similar direction.[820]

[820]Murch. Sil. Syst. p. 569.

WOODHOUSE. BARDON HILL.

IV. Woodhouse.Slate-rocks.—From Swithland to Woodhouse, is a continuation of the highly inclined Slate strata. The village is romantically situated on the ridge or crest of the anticlinal axis of Charnwood Forest. On the sides of the road, there are occasional openings where the strata are exposed. There is, in particular, a fine section on the sides of the elevated point on which the church and school are built, lying to the left of the road in the approach from Swithland. A day might be well spent in this place, and at Swithland.

V. Bardon Hill.Syenite.—We next proceed to Bardon Hill, ascending to the highest ridge of the protruded mass of igneous rock, of which this mountain-range is composed. The craggy and bare pinnacles which are every where presenting themselves, shooting up, as it were, from the green sward, cannot fail, from their novel and striking character, strongly to impress the mind of the young geologist, whonow, for the first time, visits a region of plutonic rocks. The view from the summit of the hill is grand and imposing; it should be studied with a geological map of the country before us, that the position of this central mass of volcanic rocks, and its relation to the surrounding sedimentary strata, may be fully comprehended.

VI. Whitwick and Snibstone.Coal-measures.—Spread around the foot of the Syenitic mountain which we are descending are the coal-bearing strata of the Carboniferous system; and in the works atWhitwickandSnibstonethe geological inquirer can examine the nature of these deposits in the coal-mines, which he should descend, and obtain specimens of the strata and fossils from the beds in situ.[821]

[821]Should he be so fortunate as to see the resident engineer of Snibstone Colliery, Mr. George Vaughan, he will be certain of meeting with a courteous reception, and every facility for pursuing his inquiries, descending the shaft, and obtaining fossils. Mountain limestone is brought to this place to be converted into lime; and good specimens of shells, encrinites, &c. may sometimes be extracted from the blocks of stone.

Among the refuse of the workings thrown up from the various shafts, search should be made for stems ofcalamites(p. 108),seed-vessels(p. 149),fern-leaves(p. 109), &c.

A section from Whitwick, through Charnwood Forest, to Barrow-on-Soar, in the direction of the route we have traversed, would give the following succession of rocks:—1. Whitwick;Coal-strata, highly inclined. 2.Slate-rocksof Woodhouse, highly inclined. 3. Protrusions ofSyenite. 4.Slate-rocksof Swithland, highly inclined, with unconformable strata of red marl. 5.GraniteandSyeniteof Mount Sorel. 6.Red marlandsandstone, supporting theLias, at Barrow-on-Soar.

The pedestrian should spend one or two days at Snibstone, where there is humble, but comfortable accommodation.

MARKFIELD AND GROOBY,

VII.Markfield and Grooby.Syenite and Porphyry, &c.—These places may be visited on our way back to Leicester.

List of Dealers in Fossils, Minerals, &c.

British Natural History Society, for the distribution of Fossils and Recent Shells, London Agent for the, 30, Tavistock-street, Covent Garden.

Charlton, Mr., at the Geological Society’s apartments, Somerset House. For boards and tablets for fossils; prepared and backed paper for diagrams; cabinets for specimens, &c. An excellent and intelligent workman, and moderate in his charges.

Cuttell, Mr., 52, New Compton-street, Lapidary. Prepares fossil teeth, &c. for the microscope.

Darker, Mr., Lapidary, 9, Paradise-street, Lambeth. Fossil and recent objects for the microscope. Specimens of the infusorial earths, teeth of fishes and reptiles, marbles, &c.

Edwards, 40, High-street, Camden Town. For hoards for cabinets, to affix fossils, shells, &c. instead of trays.

McLellan, 107, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury. Manufactures the trays for the British Museum. Wooden trays with black sides, 2 inches by 2, to 6 inches by 2, price 7s.per dozen. This price is much too high, except for public collections. Common card or pasteboard trays answer every purpose.

Simmons, Mr., 6, Francis-street, Newington Butts. Collector of fossils; especially of choice Chalk fossils and fossil Foraminifera.

Sowerby, Mr. G. B. (the eminent naturalist), 50, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury. All kinds of minerals, fossils, and recent shells.

Tennant, Mr. J. Professor of Mineralogy and Geology to King’s College, 149, Strand. Every purchasable species of fossil, mineral, or shell may be obtained; as well as the various microscopic fossils, infusorial earths, slices of teeth, wood, marble, &c. The collections formed by Mr. Tennant for the student in Geology, Palæontology, and Mineralogy are admirably calculated to afford that practical acquaintance with specimens, so indispensable to the acquisition of a knowledge of Geology. A series may be obtained, illustrative of the system of instruction suggested in these volumes, and arranged in a sequence corresponding to the order in which thefossils are described. The price of a mahogany cabinet with five trays, containing 200 specimens, illustrative of the elementary works on Geology, is five guineas: cabinets with fewer and less valuable specimens from two to three guineas. The following is an outline of the contents of the five guinea cabinet—

Mineralswhich are either the components of Rocks, or occasionally imbedded in them:—Quartz, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Garnet, Zeolite, Hornblende, Augite, Asbestus, Felspar, Mica, Talc, Tourmaline, Calcareous Spar, Fluor, Selenite, Baryta, Strontia, Salt, Sulphur, Plumbago, Bitumen, &c.

Native Metals, or Metalliferous Minerals; these are found in masses or beds, in veins, and occasionally in the beds of rivers. Specimens of the following Metallic Ores are put in the Cabinet:—Iron, Manganese, Lead, Tin, Zinc, Copper, Antimony, Silver, Gold, Platina, &c.

Rocks; Granite, Gneiss, Mica-slate, Clay-slate, Porphyry, Serpentine, Sandstones, Limestones, Basalt, Lavas, &c.

Silurian Fossilsfrom the Llandeilo, Wenlock, and Ludlow Rocks.

Secondary Fossilsfrom the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Lias, Oolite, Purbeck, Wealden, and Cretaceous Groups.

Tertiary Fossilsfrom the Thanet Sands, Woolwich and Reading beds, Bracklesham, Barton, and London Clays, Isle of Wight fresh-water series, Crag, &c.

Mr. Tennant has also models of many unique and rare fossils; as for example, teeth, horn, claw-bones, &c. of the Iguanodon; lily encrinite; small models of the upright coal-trees, near Bolton; of the magnificent Plesiosaurus of Mr. Hawkins’s collection, now in the British Museum (price 4l.4s.); Mr. Sopwith’s models of stratification, &c.

Topping, Mr. 1, York-place, Pentonville-hill; supplies boards and cases, and every kind of fossil infusoria, &c.; polished slices of fossil wood and teeth; and all kinds of microscopical objects, admirably prepared, and at moderate prices.

British Museum.—Models of some of the most remarkable fossils in the National Collection (a list of which is published in the "Synopsis of the British Museum ") may be purchased of theFormatore.

Microscopes.—A microscope is now an indispensable instrument for the collector of fossil remains; and, in fact, for the cultivator of any natural science. A microscope sufficient for every useful purpose may be obtained, at the price of from seven to twenty guineas, of—

Poulton, Mr. C., Wooburn, near Marlow, Bucks; beautiful preparations of minute fossil animal and vegetable structures for the microscope at 1s.3d.per slide. Infusorial earths admirably prepared. Specimens of foraminifera, recent and fossil. Grignon sand with, foraminifera, &c.

Powell, Mr., 24, Clarendon-street, Clarendon-square.

Pritchard, Mr. Andrew, Fleet-street; the author of various useful works on microscopical subjects. Mr. Pritchard’s microscope, of from seven to ten guineas, has been purchased by several of my geological friends, and admirably answers the purpose of investigation.

Ross, Mr. 21, Featherstone-buildings, Holborn; justly celebrated for the perfection of his instruments.

Smith and Beck, Messrs. 6, Coleman-street, City.

BRIGHTON.

Nightingale, Mr. 52, Frederick-street, near the railway station Brighton A large assortment of Sussex chalk and other fossils. Mr. Nightingale is a first-rate artist in clearing chalk fishes and crustaceans.

Thatcher, Mr., West Cliff, King’s-road, has often very choice chalk fossils, admirably cleared, and at fair prices.

Most of the pebbles cut and set in brooches, and sold by the lapidaries and jewellers in this town, as Brighton common German moss-agates. The green brooches calledBrighton aqua marines!are rolled fragments of bottle-glass. Occasionally good sections of theChoanites(see p. 234) may be obtained: inquire for "petrified sea-anemones."

CHIPPENHAM, WILTS.

Buy, William; for Oxford Clay fossils of the greatest variety and in the highest perfection. Especially celebrated for his discovery and admirable development of the soft parts of Belemnoteuthides, Belemnites with phragmocones, &c.

DOVER.

Griffiths, Paradise-street.

Moses, Stroud-street; has generally a large collection of Chalk and Galt fossils.

HASTINGS.

Bissenden, Thomas, West-street;Oliver, Elizabeth, 7, Parade; of whom Wealden fossils from the neighbouring cliffs may often be obtained.

RYDE, ISLE OF WIGHT

Fowlstone, Mr., 4, Victoria Arcade.

SHEERNESS.

Hayes, Patrick, Sheppey-street, Blue Town. The usual Sheppey fossils. According to his own list, he has for sale,—petrified whelk-shells, cockles, clams, screws, Nautilus. Fruits, various; as beans, coffee, figs nuts. Crabs, lobsters, turtles. Fishes' heads, teeth, and spine-bones. His charge for perfect specimens is high; a Nautilus, cut in half and polished, presenting two perfect sections, 25s.; if imperfect, 1s.or 2s.A fish’s head, or lobster, 10s.to 15s.; imperfect examples, 6d.to 2s.; see p. 840.

VENTNOR, ISLE OF WIGHT.

Wheeler, Charles, Holder’s Sea-side Cottage. An excellent guide to the most interesting localities along the southern shore of the island. Collects and sells specimens.

WARMINSTER.

Baker, Mr.; dealer in fossils. The Warminster Greensand, and Chalk fossils.

WEYMOUTH.

DamonMr. Robert, dealer in fossils; has always on sale a large and excellent collection of the organic remains from the neighbourhood of Weymouth, the Isle of Portland, and Lyme Regis, &c. A series of recent British shells, from 200 to 400 species, correctly named.

YORK.

British Natural History Society, for the distribution of Fossils and recent shells; conductor, &c. Mr. Charlesworth, Curator of the York Museum.

Notes on the Prices of Fossils.—A Short communication by the Author to Charlesworth’s London Geological Journal, No. I. p. 13, contains a list of the prices of several interesting fossils and collections of fossils.

Minerals.—A complete series of the minerals of Cumberland comprising specimens of great beauty and interest, can be obtained ofJohn Cowper, Alston, Cumberland; he may be relied upon for his knowledge and attention, and his prices are moderate.

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