■ fome remarkable Strata of Flint in the IJle cf IVighi, 507 



or rather corre6V, what I had advanced on that fubje«rt in my formei' 

 letter. 



When the northern front of thofe hills is viewed from Afhey 

 down, the ftratum of ftone mentioned in my former letter, as lying 

 directly under the clialk of St. Catharine's and Diinnofe hills, ap- 

 pears every where to maintain an horizontal pofition; and fo in its 

 general difpofition, particularly in its northern front, it certainly 

 does; but jud behind the village of Ventnor, the flratum entirely 

 difappears, as if it had been ingulphed in a great chafm; and a deep 

 and narrow valley runs winding into the chalk hill of St. Boniface, 

 though it does not penetrate through it, which feems the remains 

 of the fiiuire into which the ftone had funk. 



The appearances of the great ftone ftratum, from Niton eaftward 

 to Ventnor, are noted as follows in the journal made on the 

 fpot : 



On an attentive infpeiflion of the ftrata of the under cliff, it appears 

 that the great ftratum of rugged and laminated ftone, which firft 

 appears at the wx^ft fide of St. Catharine's, and, thence ranging eaft- 

 ward, forms the front of the cliffs overhanging the Underway, dips 

 in its fouthern face gently to the eaftward. The clifis at Mirables 

 are much higher above the fea than thofe of St. Laurence; and 

 from thence they decline till at the opening in the hill above 

 Ventnor they totally difappear. A fmall crag juft peeps out of the 

 eaftern face of this dell, and the whole hill of St. Boniface is, as far 

 as can be feen, compofed of chalk. As, however, this, like all 

 other chalk hills, is in the ftate of a fteep flope covered with f urf, 

 perhaps by digging into its face the ftony ftratum might be dif- 

 covered. It is alfo to be obferved, that the chalk, which is not 

 viftble above the rock at Mirables, begins to appear foon after, and 

 grows gradually thicker as it proceeds eaftward. At St. Laurence, it 

 forms a thick cap to the rocks; and at Steephill ihute its thick- 



R r 2 nefs, 



