184- REMARKABLE STBATA OF FLINT. 



Geological 3c- promontory in which they terminate to the weft, well known 

 cf Wight. ^y ^^® name of the Needles is nearly as high as Mottifton, 



Befide tl^ valley of the Medina, this range is Angularly in- 

 terrupted by two vallies exaftly fimilar to eacfi other, at the 

 two ends of the ifland. Brading Haven renders Yaverland 

 at the eaft almoft an ifle, and the Yarmouth inlet cuts off the 

 weftern end fo nearly, that at high tides it is quite infalated 

 at freftiwater gate. 



To the north of this range of chalk hills the foil is chiefly 

 clay, with a fuperftratum, in many parts of gravel, the 

 clay is interfefted with many beds of ftone of different 

 qualities, and which appear to lie in great confulion. Of thefo 

 fome are grit with a flight admixture of calcareous matter, 

 others have nearly equal parts of fand and lime, and others 

 are purely calcareous. In the firft which are of great hardnefs, 

 very few extraneous bodies appear. In the fecond, are many 

 fine impreffions of fliells, while the laft are almoft entirely 

 compofed of moulds of turbinated ftiells^ fo as to appear quite 

 honeyrcombed by them. This ftone is however, of great 

 durability for the walls of Cowes Caftle, which was built by 

 Henry VIII. and is expofed to the fea air from the weft and 

 north, are as perfedl as on the day in which they were built. 

 Below all thefe ftrata of ftone at eaft Cowes, and juft above 

 a bed of black and folid clay is a ftratura of (hells about two 

 feet thick, of which a fpecimen accompanies this; and which 

 is totally compofed of thefe Ihells without any admixture or 

 earth whatfoever. As the Lea makes great inroads here, vail 

 heaps of thefe ftiells He on the beach, and feem juft waftied 

 up by the waves, inftead of being torn from their bed in the 

 cliff*. They appear nearly in the fame ftate as thofe on the 

 Hampfliire coaft, which have long been famous among na-^ 

 turalifts. In the bed at eaft Cowes, there appears, however, 

 no variety ; for I could fee no fpecies but what are here ex^ 

 hibited. 



Whatever confufion in the ftrata appears to the north of the 

 chalk range, or in that range itfelf, difappears to the fouth of 

 it, where the ftrata are nearly in a horizontal pofition, and 

 Angularly regular and undifturbed. The fea coaft from Bem-» 

 bridge, fouth to the Needles, except in the fmall extent of 

 Sanduwn Marfti, is every where higher than the immediately 

 (optiguous land of the ifland, and to the fouth-eaft^ rifes into 



